Tied to the Past
by TennisQueen12
Summary: Sometimes, the secrets within a family are more dangerous than they appear. Lana Stockholm wanted nothing more than to experience a normal, witch's life, but the actions of her ancestors may just change that. Slightly AU later. Oliver Wood/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and nearly everything in it belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter One: The Cottage

At the top of a hill, stood a house. It was not a lavish or luxuriant, but simply a house. A cottage, if you will. Had it not been for the broken windows, ivy weaving its way upon the sides of the house, and fallen in roof, anyone would find said cottage to be suitable for living in. Despite the flaws the house possessed, it seemed to attract the neighborhood teenagers nearly every end of the week whose only interest was seeing how close they could come to the cottage doors before being scared away by something. Or someone. No one really knew for sure what was inside the cottage or the significance as to why it even existed, but it was an unsaid rule that everyone was to keep their distance.

I remember as a child standing on the white picket fence that divided the cottage's property from the road. Being the child that I was, the cottage struck me as intriguing. Now, that did not mean I wanted to have anything to do with the cottage, but I always secretly wondered what the house's story was. My father had always told me that every person had a story and I figured that applied to their houses as well.

Someone must have lived there at one point, right?

There were several stories that passing story tellers would spread to the town folk and some of our neighbors. Some stories said that the house was the scene of a murder, where an entire family was slaughtered in one night by the same man. Even as a child, I knew that was a little far-fetched considering the family living there consisted of ten people. Was it possible for a single person to kill so many? It was the root of many of my fantasies as a child and wondering just what had happened.

Then again, my childish mind could not comprehend some levels of dark magic and as I grew older, I found that it very well could have been possible, but I was never entirely certain that was the case. Having grown up in a magical, pure-blood family unlike some of the naive Muggles that would pass by with their own theories, I was taught from a very young age that cottage was not to be prodded. That cottage was the epitome of all things evil, according to my parents.

A more common story that Muggles liked to spread, was that the house was a hideout for all of the murders or escapees from the asylum in England who were on the run. That was their explanation to the periodic screams that could be heard brimming from the house. It had to be the convicts because surely it would never be a spiritual being or perhaps a normal person…stuck against their will. Either way, it was strange to have such an attraction on the outskirts of little Brendon in Devonshire.

As mentioned before, I was a little wary of both sides and would typically dream up my own story as a child. As long as a parent was by my side, I was allowed to stand on the bottom plank of the white picket fence and dream up all the stories I wanted. Being the curious child I was, I broke this rule several times when my parents were distracted. The fence was quite the temptation considering that we lived just across the dirt road from it. Our property line was very close to the property line of the cottage for reasons I didn't particularly understand as a child.

Whenever I wasn't thinking about the cottage, I was playing around the house or in the backyard. I had a friend by the name of Benjamin, whom I spent most of my time with. We seemed to like the same sorts of things and got along quite well. There were some other children that lived down the road from us, but I was not allowed to associate with them, according to my mother. They were Muggles and mother had little interest in associating with them. Despite this, she still allowed me to play outside with Benjamin and periodically other children of wizarding families that would stop by.

"Lana, darling!" Mum would call from the porch every evening, just when she thought that it was growing too dark for me to play anymore.

Normally, I would come running around the corner of the house, quickly as I could to see just what she needed, though I could normally predict when she was going to reel me inside the house. Depending on the day, I could have been pretending that I was on a journey to a far off land or the ruler of a nation in my mind. Sometimes, if father came home early, he would let me take a ride on his old broomstick, but not very high, of course. Typically, though, father would not arrive home until late in the evening.

"It's gotten dark out, Lana," She would tell me just as I stepped on the first step to the porch.

"I suppose," I would whine, trying to not sound too excited.

She would chuckle and place hand on my shoulders, leading me inside and it was then that I would know father would not be home until late. There were some nights when he was home very early, but others were much too late. Mum informed me that he worked at a Ministry of Magic and that was the extent of my knowledge for quite some time.

Normally, I would sit and read for a bit or color or something to keep me entertained, but bed time always seemed to come too soon. My room was in the back of the house, and before bed mum normally allowed for me to drink a glass of milk or have some sort of snack. I remember always sitting at the breakfast bar of our kitchen as she casually flicked her wand and I watched, in awe, as the cabinets swung open and the dishes floated daintily to the table in front of me. While she turned opened the bread box manually with a single hand, behind her, she would flick her wrist again and I would watch as the milk jug placed itself next to the dishes and filled the cup.

Magic was not an oddity in the house. Both of my parents were magical and nearly every other member of my family, such as my aunts and uncles had been a witch or wizard, as well. From what my father told me, we did have a couple of non-magical or "squibs", as mother called them, in the family, but they were rare and uncommon. It was nearly expected out of me that I would show witch characterists at a young age. I was so used to seeing magic all the time, that it was something I suppose we took for granted.

They say that there's a moment in every young witch or wizard's life when they and the family know the child has magic in their veins. I remember that day crystal clearly and though I may not have realized the significance of the day at the time, I most definitely learned how special it was later in my life.

On our house, the gutters had become clogged one cool, fall day. Like many days, my friend Benjamin Flockton from down the way had come over to play while mother sat inside, chatting away with Mrs. Flockton. Father had the day off, for reasons I do not remember, and insisted on clearing the gutters. Father, unlike mother, liked to stay up-to-date with some everyday Muggle activities. Muggles, according to father, cleaned their own gutters, by hand. He pulled out another strange Muggle contraption from the garage, that elevated him to the height of the roof (I believe he called it a latter…or something like that, perhaps it was ladder..). I was quite distracted playing with Benjamin in the backyard, but just as father climbed to the top rung of the contraption, I happened to look up.

The top rung was unsteady and after father placed all of his weight on it, it instantly collapsed under his weight. Seeing that my father was in danger, I shrieked and got up from where Benjamin and I were sitting in the far corner. I didn't know what I could do, but all I remember was thinking over and over that he would be alright. He slipped down two or three rungs, but before he could hit the ground, presumably on his neck or leg, I watched as he floated for several seconds, as if something had caught his fall.

His cry had alarmed my mother and Mrs. Flockton, who had rushed outside from their morning tea. My father levitated for another moment, only roughly a foot off the ground, before falling the rest of the distance and hitting the ground with a thud. Granted, it may have been a fall, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.

"Richard, I told you it would be much easier to just use magic! Look what nearly happened! Thank goodness you had your wand-" My mother started exclaiming, scolding him as if he were a child.

"Mary, I didn't have my wand," My father answered, looking up at her from the ground with a serious expression on his face.

All of their eyes looked to me, the five-year old, who hadn't any idea what had just happened, but was only happy that her father was safe.

"Daddy!" I exclaimed, before running and jumping atop of the tall, lanky, dark headed man.

It was from that moment on that my parents knew I had also inherited the magical genes. It was also from that moment on that my father was much more selective about the Muggle inventions he chose to implement into our life.

The Flocktons were another magical family who lived just down the road from us. I don't hardly remember a day of my childhood life without seeing at least one of the Flocktons.

Benjamin Flockton was the same age as me and typically his mother would always drop him off during the day to stay with us. My mother was a housewife and found that it only worked for the best to have Benjamin around to keep me entertained. Benjamin had dark brown, messy hair and light brown eyes. I liked Benjamin's company because he was always positive about nearly everything we played. Like many children, we loved to play pretend and go on adventures around our backyard. Benjamin and I were very simliar in many ways, especially our love for action. Benjamin was basically like the sibling I never had, since I was an only child.

One of Benjamin and I's favorite games was to sneak across the road, when my mother was very distracted with another household task and we could go and climb atop of the white fence to catch a glimpse of the old cottage at the very top of the hill. Benjamin and I were not stupid and did not ever intend of getting any closer to the house, but it was always fun to stand there and think about just what could be inside of the unstable home. I knew that we were breaking a rule whenever we did this and I remember one day in particular when we played this game. At the time, I was maybe seven years old.

"Benjamin, do you think a monster lives up there?" I asked curiously one day, leaning over the creaky fence, my short, auburn hair being blown about in the wind.

"I haven't the slightest!" He exclaimed, excitedly. "I reckon it must be something wicked though…it screams awfully loud!"

"What if it's a person, Benjamin?" I asked, my brain going crazy at all of the possibilities as to what the house may have contained.

"I doubt it's a person, Lana," He would tell me, leaning his head against his hand as we stood there for as long as we deemed safe until mother was no longer distracted. As we got older, we had it pinned as to how long we could stay out without getting caught and there were several close calls. "No one could possibly scream that loudly!"

I stared at the broken in windows and watched as the green shutters blew with a racket against the white-washed cottage as another strong wind breezed through. Benjamin seemed to know that time was getting close to being over and said," I think we best be heading back across the street."

Reluctantly, I pulled my feet out of the slots on the fence and jumped to the ground. Just as I did so, I felt Benjamin push me playfully on my shoulder," You're it!"

"Ben-" Before I could finish my exclamation, he was already well on his way over our gate and into our yard. Not even paying attention to my step, I made a leap for the dark headed boy and was immediately stopped by an aggravated hiss at my feet. Finding it strange to hear such a noise, I thought it be best to see what was going on. Immediately, I looked down to see an intimidating black snake weave around to get a better look at what had just stepped on it. Its beady yellow eyes set directly on my blue eyes and it snapped at me, bearing sharp fangs.

Involuntarily, I screamed as I ran back toward the house, but in the commotion tripped over one of the rocks in the middle of the dirt road. I looked back to see the snake coming after me, as it carried a grudge against me for crushing it and wanted to make sure I felt the same pain. I scooted myself along quickly, trying to get away, but the viper came at me once more and just missed as I pulled my leg away, it sank its fangs into the dirt. Angrier than ever, it reared back up at me and released a long hiss.

"Benjamin!" I screamed, moving away quickly.

Just as I was getting to my feet and the snake was preparing its next strike, my mother came storming out of the house, her wand drawn as she stormed the fence and jumped back slightly at the sight of the snake. Never before had I seen my mother with such an intense look on her face. She always used her wand for simply cleaning the house and other minor things, but never in defense against harm. I was curious to see what she was going to do, but I had little time to ponder the thought for it all happened too fast. She hesitated very briefly, still pointing her wand at the snake, before yelling something at it. A beam of light and sparks came from the tip of her wand, causing the snake to silence immediately and be thrown back several feet, out of sight. Without much compassion, she grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet before angrily saying to me," Just what were you thinking?"

"Mum, I-" I tried, but she continued.

"You weren't thinking, Lana! I've told you many times not to go over to that fence unless father was with you!" She told me sternly, keeping blue her eyes locked with mine as she kept one hand tight around my arm. Hot tears were coming to my eyes just before she released a sigh, seeing that Benjamin was still standing in the yard watching, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Go on inside, dear. We'll discuss this more later."

I felt the tears slip out of my eyes and run down my face as she straightened to her full height and I didn't dare disobey her.

"Benjamin, your mother is in-" My mother started, but on the porch, appeared the tall, slender Mrs. Flockton, whose light brown hair was piled atop of her head. Her brown eyes were set directly on her son and her thin jaw appeared to be clenched.

"Benjamin!" She said firmly. "Come along!"

My friend looked at me, as if he was apologetic, before meeting his mother on the porch and grabbing her hand.

"Thank you, Mary, for allowing him to stay," Mrs. Flockton said, rather coldly to my mother, who was following closely behind me.

I watched my mother nod cordially and give the woman a soft smile," It was our pleasure. I apologize for-"

"Don't, Mary," Mrs. Flockton said with a soft smile, suddenly changing her demeanor. "They're only children after all."

My mother opened her mouth to say something else, but she instantly shut if, hesitating greatly before saying," Of course. Have a good evening, the both of you."

"Bye Stockholm family!" Mrs. Flockton said, her son echoing her shortly after.

Mother and I both said our farewells and before both Mrs. Flockton and Benjamin seemed to disappear into thin air.

I entered, very slowly, into the house and moved into the den, placing myself on the couch in front of the bare fireplace, other than the miscellaneous pictures atop of the mantle of our family.

"Lana, you must understand something," Mother said, following closely behind me as sat beside me on the couch.

"Mum, I know," I tried convincing her with my most innocent voice possible.

"Dear, listen, you have heard your father and I tell you many times about the dangers that linger in the house across the street. There are very dangerous things in there that could hurt you very badly. I don't want to lose the Lana I have right now," She told me, in a much gentler tone than before.

"I just went to stand on the fence, mum," I tried defending, looking at her out of the side of my eye. " Daddy lets me all the time."

"But Daddy wasn't there to watch you this time, Lana," She told me, still keeping her calm best as she could. "That snake wanted to hurt you. You're lucky that Mrs. Flockton got here when she did and just so happened to see the both of you at the fence. This is why you always need an adult to supervise you."

She wiped a tear from my eyes as I looked directly at her, trying to process just what I should have said to that. In my childish mind, I had not before understood the severity of the old home. Before the day with the snake, I had taken for granted that the cottage across the street and up the hill really was dangerous.

"I'm sorry, mum," I said meekly, looking down, still embarrassed.

She chuckled slightly and placed a hand underneath my chin, forcing me to look at her," It's alright, Lana, just promise me you'll never do anything like that again."

I gave her a small smile before saying," I won't."

"Thank you," Mother answered, as if she were relieved, she bent in and kissed my forehead.

I squirmed quickly out of her grasp, playfully giggling as she gasped," Lana Valencia!"

Knowing that she was no longer angered with me, I jumped off the couch and ran to the opposite side of the room which lead into the kitchen, laughing as I did so. With a smile on her face, she chased me about and I ran through the kitchen, where the stove was on and the pots and pans were seemingly cooking dinner on their own. She chased me all about the room until finally, she appeared out of no where, directly in front and me and pinning me to the corner. I started laughing maniacally as she lifted me up by the arms and carried me back to the kitchen.

"No fair!" I cried, squirming in her arms as she placed me on the counter.

She chuckled," One day, sweetheart, you will be able to do everything I can do."

It was from that day on that I respected my parents when they told me to stay away from the cottage. For many days, I was scared to even look in the direction of the cottage. My mother never told me why that snake was acting so strangely and I never tried to ask her, for I could tell that it was a sensitive topic and I did not want to keep her angry with me. Father seemed to be extra protective as well after that incident as well, but both of them trusted that Benjamin nor I would ever disobey again.

And they were right.

**Author's Note: I've been wanting to write a Harry Potter story forever and I'm really excited to be starting this! It's always so difficult to start a new story and it took me forever to decide on the beginning chapter, so bear with me here as I try to get the intro started. Let me know what you think so far! I love feedback :) Also, I promise the next chapter will clarify some details about the family and give you some more information about the family.**

**Also, I want all readers to know that I typically write a combination of book and movie verse, so this story will not be strictly following the book nor strictly following the movies. There may even be some AU toward the end, but I have not decided yet.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. When Times Were Easy For the Most Part

**Author's Note: I own very little.**

Chapter Two: When Times Were Easy. For the Most Part.

My mother and father were what one could call an "odd" couple. It was no secret to anyone who passed by thought that we were a strange family, but as I look back, I realize how well my parents managed to keep us hidden from the Muggle world. Though we may have only been five minutes from the city, not very many people ever knew we were there. I never really ever saw any non-magical people.

Father worked at the Ministry of Magic. I never fully knew what my father did for a living, but he was always busy with it, or at least during my childhood he was. That aside, he was a man who was very tall, lanky, with thick glasses and brown hair that always seemed to be messy. Mother always joking called him our little "know-it-all" in the family. One thing about father that made me love him so much was that he was always very mild-mannered and calm; I could always find comfort and consol in his bright blue eyes. Whenever mother may have been ready to immediately punish me, father always thought things through and tried to hear my side of the story.

It always baffled me as to how he and mother came to meet each other. For mother, on the other hand, was short with auburn hair, just like mine, as well as wide blue eyes. As I said before, father was always very interested in the Muggle world, but if it were up to my mother then she would have rather lived a separate life from them. Mother also always seemed much more social than father. Every time we had other witches and wizards over for dinner, mother would be the one to lead conversation while father would sit quietly, speaking to me every once in awhile. They were quite the opposite of each other, but it seemed as though our family worked despite their differences.

Mother told me, after I got older, that her and father had met at a place called Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards (I always chuckled at the name when I was younger). I was taught from a very young age that Hogwarts was basically a heaven on earth for our type. Mother would sit up late at night, telling me of its beauty and the rolling hills and lake that stood on the castle grounds. Many a night, I found Hogwarts creeping its way into my dreams.

Speaking of dreams, I found the night time to be a very intriguing part of the day. Ever since the incident with the snake at a young age, I made sure to bide by my mother's word and never approach the fence across the street without being closely monitored. I may have followed this rule very religiously during the day. In fact, I very legitamately was scared to even look in the direction of the house. However, deep down I knew there was still some curiosity that lingered.

My curiosity was fueled even moreso at night time when screaming could be heard from the cottage.

They were not the sort of joyful screams either that one may utter after seeing a long forgotten friend or family member.

I remember, as a restless child, fighting sleep tooth and nail. Darkness surrounded me as I turned over time and time again, trying to force my eyes to shut. Then, out of nowhere, cutting through the silence of the night like a knife, an ear-splitting, high-pitched scream would break through the air. The first times I heard the noise, in response, I would jump out of bed, scared for my life, releasing a scream myself.

My dad would come running into my room, equally alarmed as I was. He would grab my hand and calm me down before running to the window, as if looking for something in the dark. I would always try to join him at the window, but he would always demand that I get back into bed. Before the incidents became a normal part of the night, I would obey and stay tucked away in my bed, but after several days of they were becoming the norm, I decided that I would finally go to the window and see just what was going on for myself.

Very clearly, I remember, creeping out of bed in my nightgown through the darkened room to window. I'm sure that father assumed I was only sleeping through the screaming. I assumed that I would be unheard. Deep down, I felt guilty in disobeying my father, but a part of me was excited for the adrenaline rush. I wanted to know what was going on.

In the moonlight, a cloaked figure could be seen, climbing over the white picket fence and jumping to the ground below. In awe, (and silently), I would watch as the figure made its way up the hill and squeezed itself into the busted out window of the cottage. I thought that perhaps, I was only imagining the person on the first night, but it seemed as though night after night I would see the same thing. This cloak, this figure, was going through the same process.

It wasn't long until my father found out my little secret when I happened to step on the family cat, Clover, who liked to sleep in my room, on the floor. The cat hardly ever showed itself, except for in the evenings and I nearly forgot we even owned it. As awful as that sounded, it was true. Clover did not care much for humans to begin with and my tripping over her did not seem to put us in any better light for her. She hissed loudly before turning, too lazy to do anything else to me.

Instantly, I felt a lump in my stomach as father came trodding down the hall. I was already standing very close to the window and it didn't take much figuring to realize I was caught.

"Lana!" He exclaimed, nearly scaring me out of my skin as I jumped away from the window. He seemed to show no concern for the cat, but was only focused on making sure I saw nothing out of that window.

"Daddy, I was-" I tried arguing, but had little idea as to what I was arguing for really.

"Lana, get back in bed. Now," He said, more adamantly than I had ever heard him ever before.

"Daddy, I wasn't-" I tried, but this time he said much more loudly.

"Lana!" He yelled, much louder than he had _ever_ yelled before.

Knowing I was wrong, I looked at him and sunk my head down before trotting back over to bed. He pulled his robe closer around his body before moving himself over to the window, once again as if he were looking for something. I sat myself in bed and pulled my knees up to my chin, watching him. Tears burned in my eyes before sliding down my cheek. Father had never yelled at me. Guilt rushed through my entire body.

He looked over at me and sighed before coming to my bedside and kneeling down," Lana, sweetheart, I-I just-"

He paused, looking directly into my eyes, as if feeling bad for me.

"You'll understand why one day," He said quietly before pulling the blankets down on my bed.

Reluctantly, I crawled to the tip of my bed and put both my legs under before my dad pulled them up to my chin. I stretched my arms out of the blanket and looked at him again.

"Dad, why can't I know now?" I asked, very softly, not wanting to make him angry again. "Everything has a story..that's what you said."

He looked down again, as if nervous before meeting my eyes," You're right..but don't worry about it now, Lana. Please try to get some sleep."

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. And even though I was still a young child, who had no knowledge of the situation, I knew that he was lying to me. I could tell that there was something he wasn't telling me. Never had I been a child to disobey my parents, but every night waking up and seeing that figure was my little act of rebellion. I assumed that my father did not trust me for it only took three days for he and mother to switch my room with the guest room in the back of the house, where the cottage was out of my view. If I had tried to get a glimpse of the house, I would have been caught easily.

* * *

><p>"I told you, there are no such thing as dragons!" Benjamin exclaimed one day as we walked down the country road, behind my father, who was well ahead of us. By this time, I assumed that we were probably around ten years old.<p>

"Benjamin, puh-leaaaase everyone knows that dragons are real. Right, dad?" I countered, asking my father, who looked back with a smile on his face.

"That's right, Lana," He said, very serenely as always.

Benjamin had a look of complete outrage on his face, which only made me smirk and cross my arms," Told you so."

We turned the corner country road, just where our property line met the road. Father was just about to open the gate to our yard as Benjamin exclaimed," You're only saying that because she's your daughter!"

My father released a chuckle as he held open the gate for us," No, Benjamin. Trust me, they are real. Just ask your father about that."

Benjamin gave my father a questionable look and stared at him for a long moment, as if he were crazy before finally turning around and coming after me.

It was no secret that the Flocktons and my parents had been friends for a long time. They never really went into the details of when they met, but my mother told me that all four of them were in the same house at Hogwarts, Gryffindor. Mr. Flockton rarely came over to visit, mostly because of his job, but Mrs. Flockton, as I mentioned before, seemed to be over at least once a day.

Mrs. Flockton was a tall, slender lady with a sharp jaw line and light brown hair that was always pinned atop of her head. Though I never saw him much, Mr. Flockton was built much stockier and had light brown hair that always seemed to be slicked back. Both of them had large, brown eyes. I'm sure mother and father must have known their first names, but most of my childhood I went without knowing that, only referring to them as Mr. and Mrs. Or Benjamin's mum and father.

Father used to always joke that the Flocktons, himself, and mother had seen quite the lot of adventure in their days, but I always thought he was joking when he said this. Normally, the four of them would spend a long time talking to one another, but I hardly ever thought much of it. I was typically more interested in other things.

"What does my dad know about _dragons_?" Benjamin challenged, raising a brow.

My father closed the gate and followed us up the stairs to the house and started to speak," Well, he had a pretty close encounter with one when he was a teenager."

"No thanks to you!" Mrs. Flockton added after opening the screen door for the three of us to enter once again.

Then they would start to talk about "the old days" and that was Benjamin and I's cue that we were to entertain ourselves with something else. If it was one of the rare days whenever Mr. Flockton was around, then we could be guaranteed quite a lot of play time.

Our backyard was rather expansive and stretched far out into the field behind our house. There were plenty of rolling hills and allowed for us to have plenty of space to run through the fields.

"I still don't think my dad knows anything about dragons," Benjamin would tell me as we walked to the far end of the field.

I shrugged my shoulders," You never know. My dad says everyone has a story."

"But my dad is just so boring. All he ever talks about is work!" Benjamin complained, as we heard an eruption of laughter from the house behind us.

I smiled at Benjamin teasingly before saying," Well…all I know is…I'm still _faster_ than _you_."

And so it was that I ran off into the distance, feeling the wind blow through my hair. I had no worries or no cares and the arguments that I ever had seemed to be so trivial. Running and laughing through the field was one of the best feelings I could have ever imagined, as a child and the darkness that lay across the street seemed a little farther away with every passing moment I was able to play and be a child.

Normally, I would run until my legs literally felt as though they were going to fall off. Benjamin would always prove to me that he was, in fact, faster than I was. Sometimes, I remember falling over from having such weak legs, but hardly even caring. It wasn't until the sun was nearly completely hidden under the horizon when our parents came to the back porch in search of us.

"Lana! Benjamin!" They would cry, their voices ringing through the night air and in response, our sounds of disappointment.

Reluctantly, we trudged back inside for the night.

Life was easy as a child.

Later in my life, I envied the innocence we had as children.

**Author's Note: Alright, so there's a little more introduction stuff for ya'll. I know that right now you don't have much knowledge about time era and such, but that will become more clear as the chapters progress. Promise. :D**

**Big thanks goes out to SweetSunnyRose and MisticLight for reviewing! I love hearing feedback so drop a review!**


	3. Owl Post

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Three: Owl Post

Benjamin and I couldn't have had a happier life as children to be perfectly honest. We continued to grow up together, experiencing all of the joys of childhood and learning daily lessons about the magical world from my mother, once we were of the age where we could comprehend all that was going on. Of course, mother did not give us very advanced lessons for we would attend school at age eleven, presumably Hogwarts.

There was roughly the period of a year whenever we never heard anything from the cottage across the street. Never at night, nothing at all. However, that was also the time whenever mother needed to take a job during the evenings. The Ministry needed more assistance, I was around the age of seven at the time, and she figured that father would be able to take care of me while she went off to work.

"…The three witches and the knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four of them led long happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain's water carried no enchantment at all," Father said to me, as I sat in my parents' bed, curled up under his arm as he read the story, _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_ to me.

Typically, it was a story that was only read during the Christmastime, but I always loved hearing it and begged him to read it no matter the time of year. It just so happened that I had asked him to read it to me during the month of August. He never argued with me and always happily read whichever story I wanted, as long as I promised to go straight to bed.

"I can't believe they never found out, Daddy!" I exclaimed after the story was over and he had tossed the book aside on their quilted, blue and white comforter.

He adjusted his glasses on the ridge of his nose and smiled down at me," Perhaps, it was better they didn't, Lana."

"Perhaps," I repeated with a shrug of my shoulders.

"C'mon now, off to bed with you," He said after a couple moments of silence.

I started to move and just as my legs dangled off the side of their bed, I said," Daddy, do you know what time mum will be home?"

He swallowed hard before saying with a small smile," By morning, darling. Remember, she has to go to work now in the evenings."

I jumped to the ground with a soft clad as he followed me," Oh…yeah…I forgot."

Out of all honesty, I just wanted to see my mum before going to sleep, but it seemed as though that was no longer an option; therefore, I walked in silence with father following behind me down the hall before we came upon the door on the left. We walked inside and knowing what needed to be done, I slipped up onto my bed and pulled the pink quilt up to my nose.

Father chuckled softly before pulling it down to my chest," Goodnight, Lana."

I adjusted myself in bed before I felt him lean down and place a soft kiss on my forehead. He moved a stray hair out of my face before shutting off the lamp that sat on my bedside table. Moonlight immediately spilled into the dark room.

"Goodnight, dad."

And so he left the room and I went to sleep unaware of what would happen later that night.

* * *

><p>At first, I thought it was just a dream when I heard someone saying my voice.<p>

"Lana…" it whispered, ever so softly.

I was somewhere between dreaming and reality. I tried ignoring the voice at first, but it kept on coming back into my head.

"Lana…Lana….Lana," It whispered, every time softer as if they were getting farther away from me.

As a child, I had very little knowledge as to where this voice was coming from and who exactly it was. All I remember is that I was sitting up in my bed, but I was still very confused. I saw a little spark of light fly across my room and I watched it, as if in a trance. The light was enticing and I remember throwing the blankets off my legs to follow the light to the window. There was a sort of peaceful feeling I found in that light and this voice saying my name.

"Lana…come…" It continued and I was not going to hesitate.

Just as I reached the window, the peacefulness that I was experiencing disappeared as I heard a door slam in another room of the house. I blinked hard before trying to discover just what was happening.

"What's going on?" I heard several moments later, from my father in the other room. Instantly, a strike of fear ran through me as I wondered just what could be going on.

"Rebecca…"He said my mother's name very quietly at first, but I could still hear through the thin walls.

"He's thirsty," She answered hoarsely, sounding very foreign to my ears.

"Rebecca, I told you-" My father shot back, his voice angry.

"Just get her away!" Her female voice screamed, I assumed it to be my mother, but her voice was very high-pitched and estranged-sounding.

I could not hear any other voices, but heard the sound of my father's frantic footsteps, coming toward my room.

The, once calm, voice I had been hearing suddenly screamed inside my head," LANA!"

It had been a soothing voice before, but when it exploded inside my head I could do nothing but writhe in pain and scream. It was a very strange sensation. The same voice I had been attracted to and in awe of was causing me pain like nothing I had ever felt or known before. Something seemed to be entering into my head, saying nothing but my name. My child mind could not handle the constant torture that I was experiencing and as I fell to the ground, father came running in and picked me up into his arms. Even though it was only my name being said, it felt as though more. It felt as though I was being invaded by something both wonderful...and very terrible at the same time.

Tears started falling from my eyes with all that was happening. The voice disappeared as soon as father touched me and held me close in his arms. I remember my father stroking my head softly and trying to get the tears to subdue. He grabbed nothing else out of my room and the rest is all a blur. He must have apparated out of the house because the next thing I knew, all sorts of shapes and colors were spinning around. It took nearly no time at all before I was standing beside my father in my grandparent's living room in their house by the shore.

* * *

><p>And then, suddenly, all of the pain was gone as I stood in my grandparent's home. The voice, the confusion, pain...it all had ceased immediately. Father still had a tight grip on me and before letting me down, he asked many questions about how I was feeling, but I simply answered them all with a "yes". It was rather strange how everything had happened and only one thought was running through my head as I stared into the fire buring in my grandparent's fireplace. I wanted nothing more than to have an explanation of everything that had happened.<p>

"Daddy, why are we here?" I remember asking him, the first night, soon after we arrived. "What happened?"

It was not very often that we took a trip to grandma and grandpa's. I knew something must have been wrong. I had not forgotten the terror that I had just experienced. I wanted to know why it was happening.

He took one of my hands and squeezed it tight before saying," There's just, a little problem back at the house. Nothing mother and I can't take care of, but we're just going to stay here for the time being."

"Where's mom?" I found myself asking for the second time that evening.

He, once again, swallowed hard before saying," She's just taking care of something back at the house, Lana."

"Why didn't we stay-" I asked, but he cut me off abruptly.

"Lana-please. Just don't ask me any more questions about it," He asked, or pleaded rather.

I felt hurt by my father's rejection, but continued to ask something else because my curiosity couldn't be contained," Daddy, I don't-"

"Lana!" He yelled louder than he had ever before and more abruptly than needed. "Please."

He didn't mean for it to hurt my feelings, but it did. I remember feeling a piece of my heart break as he yelled at me. Just at that moment, I saw grandma walk into the room and I ran to her instantly. She took me into her arms as grandfather came in beside her. He went in and sat on the couch next to father. It was not the most happy or orthodox greeting in the world, but it seemed as though everyone knew something was not right that night.

"Shh, darling," Grandma soothed me as we exited the room.

I don't think I ever understood why father was so upset with me. It was very clear that my questions were not welcome.

I tried to put this out of my head and enjoy the spontaneous visit, nontheless. Grandmother would talk to me as we sat out on their back porch. They were only steps away from the shore and the ocean was always a sight that I loved seeing. I don't remember much of that trip, but I do remember father being pale for most of the time we were there and spending quite a lot of time with grandfather while I spent a majority of my time with grandma.

My grandmother was one of my favorite people that I hardly ever saw. Those few days were such a treat, walking on the beach with grandmother. She had curly, gray hair like most elderly women did and wore some sort of dress every day. Even though she was older, she still enjoyed going on walks and staying active. Not to mention that I loved grandmother's cooking and I loved hearing all of her stories. They also had a rat that ran around their house, almost more of pet than a pest. The creature had quite the talent of being able to scare me out of my wits Both she and grandpa were wizards and their house was filled with many old artifacts that I was instructed not to touch if I liked where all of my limps currently were.

That scared me quite a bit as a seven year old, so I made sure not to touch much.

The days all started to run together and the trip was a blur. Sometimes, I wondered if we would ever travel back home and I was beginning to seriously worry about mother. Father was calm with me once again and apologized for being so angry with me before. He explained that everything was alright and that we would be able to go home soon. Despite his apology, I was still scared to ask much out of him.

Whenever grandfather wasn't with father, speaking about whatever it was they were speaking about, he would pick me up and spin me around before talking to me. Grandfather would never speak with me for very long, but whenever he did he always made me feel special.

"How's the little princess today?" He would ask me with a grand smile on his face, his blue eyes, still bright as ever sparkling behind his spectacles.

I would smile and tell him I was doing splendid, when really all I wanted was answers as to why we were even staying with my grandparents. I didn't dare ask anymore questions, other than to grandma, who didn't seem to know anything either. After a certain amount of days, I forced myself to forget about the situation and just simply enjoy the time we were spending with them, even if I didn't understand why mother wasn't joining us. Grandfather and father were slowly beginning to go back to normal and I didn't feel as much like I was being left out of some huge secret. I missed my mother, but I knew there wasn't anyhting I could do at the time to make the situation better.

Just after I had finally come to terms with being away from her, father informed me that we would be returning home.

* * *

><p>As soon as father and I appeared on the front porch, mother came bursting through the front door with a smile on her face as she picked me up and kissed me on the cheek. I laughed as she placed me down and her and father hugged before we all went back inside. It was as if nothing had ever happened and father and I were only returning from vacation. How strange it was to be back in my own home again. I missed my grandparents greatly, but there truly was no place like home.<p>

"Lana, darling, I've missed you so much!" I remember her saying as she sat down on the couch, and pulled me onto her lap.

I smiled and looked into my mother's blue eyes. Her fair skin, which normally held some colour, was completely pale and I noticed dark bags under her eyes. These details were minimal compared to the gashing scar I noticed across the top of her forehead, in the light of the fire burning in the fireplace. All of the joy I was experiencing in simply being home again was, once again, put aside.

The smile on my face instantly disappeared as I pointed to the mark on her head," Mommy, what happened?"

The smile on her face disappeared as she felt the place on her forehead," Oh, darling that's just-"

"Lana, don't-" Father started again, but mother shot him a very nasty look before turning her head back to me.

"Mummy fell," She said with a smile plastered on her face. "Don't worry about it."

"Rebecca," Father growled under his breath.

"I fell," She growled back at him, but quickly tried to cover up her actions by adjusting me on her lap and smiling. "Nothing you should worry about, dear."

Even though I may not have been very old, I knew that something was not right between my parents even though we went through the rest of the night, talking and laughing as a family. Even though they sat next to each other, eventually hand in hand, as we all enjoyed each other's company. Eventually, the both of them took me to bed and tucked me in together, it was nice to be going back to normal. It was definitely a feeling I could have gotten used to.

I was told not to tell a soul about what had happened on that night and when the Flocktons asked that next day where father and I had been, just to tell them that there was a scare with the grandparents' well-being. I knew this was a lie, but I did not want to make either of my parents upset with me once again.

That next day, Benjamin came over filled with questions, just as predicted. I truly only wished we could go back to normal because, knowing Benjamin, he would have a million questions on the subject.

"Where've you been?" He demanded, placing himself on the stool next to me at the breakfast bar early the next morning.

"Oh," I started, looking away from his brown eyes," My grandparents…they were…ill. We had to go see them."

He furrowed his brows at me and I silently wished he would not ask any more questions, but he spat out another one," Well, are they alright?"

I looked down at the muffin in front of me, picking at the softly before saying," I think so."

"Well, that's good," Benjamin said after several moments of silence. I was rather happy he dropped the topic all-together and we were able to go back to our normal lives, even if for a short amount of time.

* * *

><p>As the years came closer to my eleventh birthday, we had less and less problems at home. I was able to live a semi-normal life without anymore strange incidents. I remember when there were only two weeks left. Two weeks and I would finally turn eleven years old. I would finally be able to attend Hogwarts, the place that both my father and mother had been building up to me since nearly birth. All of the strange events that had happened in the past, seemed to be nonexistent, anymore. Life really was as normal as it could be for a wizarding family.<p>

That whole year, the only thing Benjamin and I could speak of was how wonderful our lives were going to be after we were finally wizards. I remember the excitement and feeling genuinely like a little kid before Christmas. All of the scares with the cottage across the street and the confusion were the last thing on my mind.

Turning eleven was quite the ordeal at my house and my parents had planned something special for the day. I remember waking up to a beautiful summer day and going over to the vanity in my tiny room, which my parents had gotten me special for my birthday. I sat in front of the mirror and brushed out my thin, auburn hair that came to my shoulders. A yawn escaped my lips before I wandered over to my dresser drawers and pulled out my clothes for the day. A pink, knee-length skirt and a white shirt.

Even though my parents may have viewed my eleventh birthday as a big deal, and I did as well, but I was secretly hoping they wouldn't go too far overboard. Just as I opened my door to go to the washroom, I heard many whispers and right when I stepped into the hallway, both my parents, the Flocktons, and my grandparents (who had made a special trip down) crowded the hallway, yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LANA!"

I remember being so surprised that I dropped my clothes before smiling and running over to hug all of them. After greeting them all and laughing over the matter, Benjamin told me," Hurry up and get dressed!"

"Alright, I will!" I answered, excited to see what the day would bring.

* * *

><p>"Now, Lana, I want you to close your eyes," My father told me, later that day after the cake and most of the celebration had taken place. It was nice to just spend time with the closest family members and friends. There were plenty of other people that I had met over the years when I would travel into Diagon Alley with mum or dad, but I never made as deep of friendships then with the Flocktons.<p>

I did as I was told, waiting anxiously for whatever it was that he had for me.

After seemingly an eternity of waiting, he said," Open your eyes!"

I opened my eyes as quickly as I knew how to see a beautiful broomstick sitting on the kitchen table. I released a small squeal before running over to get a better look at it.

"Father! Thank you! But I can't fly!" I said, hardly seeing the last part as a downfall, but more happy that I had a broomstick of my own than anything. I remember how much I had always loved it when father would sneak in a flight with me as a child.

"You will learn how to fly at school. Now, for the first year this is going to stay at home and will be strictly for use here, after you learn how to fly properly. Do you understand?" He asked me seriously, as I noticed the Nimbus 2000 engraved on the handle.

"Of course!" I exclaimed before running over to give him a hug. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" He said, chuckling before I heard a knock at the door.

I looked with wide eyes around my father to the door. I had waited eleven years for owl post to show up at my doorstep.

"Do you think-" I started to ask as I stepped away from father, who only smiled.

"Go see for yourself," He told me quietly, as I looked over to Benjamin, who had grown a couple inches taller and lost some of the baby weight and was now rather tall and slim with the same light brown hair and eyes. We both ran to the front door.

I grabbed the gold handle and turned it as fast as I could. Just as I opened the door, I saw a owl, perched on our front porch. Tentatively, I walked out in front of the gray owl and smiled as I noticed the envelope in its beak. I reached out for the envelope and gently took it from the bird's beak. With a hoot, it flew away from our house and Benjamin and I watched as it flew up and away into the sky.

I looked down at the envelope and smiled before ripping the envelope off as quickly as my fingers allowed.

"…._You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"_

There may have been plenty of other words written on that piece of parchment, but those were the only ones that mattered, in my eyes.

**Author's Note: I know that I have not updated in awhile, but hopefully you enjoy this chapter and I can get my act together and get into the actual story! These last few weeks I have had soooo many papers to write that I have had very little patience to write anything else, unfortunately. I apologize if this chapter seems a little all over the place, but I hope you all get the jest of it.**

**Despite that, thanks to MisticLight, SweetSunnyRose, and Evy201 for reviewing, once again! You guys are the best! :) Feel free to let me know what you all think of this chapter!**


	4. Off to Diagon Alley

**Author's Note: I own very little. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and other characters.**

Chapter Four: Off to Diagon Alley

The start of the term was September 1st and Benjamin and I couldn't have been counting the days more quickly. It seemed as though the days moved even more slowly and we had even less to do, when in reality, we probably should have had more to do, but we put off any work necessary prior to school starting until the very last minute. There was all of the anticipation of finally enrolling minus the work ethic. Well, perhaps, Benjamin was, but I on the other hand, was definitely not.

I remember laying on the floor boards of my room, as Clover, the house cat walked over my stomach and perched herself directly on my chest. I let out a groan before reaching up and petting her ear. The ginger cat, with bright green eyes, hardly enjoyed being a pet, but there were moments where she could pretend as best she could. She would handle some love, but after a certain point, she would turn and throw out a hiss, returning to her normal self. Sure, my theory may have been a bit harsh, but it was the only one that made sense in my head. Mum told me that she was only old and deserved a chance, but I thought otherwise.

Benjamin was sitting with his back against my door, stroking his new pet toad, that would accompany him to school. I couldn't have despised that creature more, it was fat and slimey, I'd never wanted to have owned a toad, but I would never dare say this to Benjamin, who found the creature to be fascinating. He took advantage of nearly every opportunity to shove the toad in my face.

"Do you suppose our parents are going to take us to get our school supplies soon?" Benjamin asked nonchalantly, as he continued to stroke the toad's slimy skin. I stared at the white ceiling, daydreaming about Hogwarts.

"Mum said we'd go in Mid-August," I said, still not paying much attention.

"I haven't been to Diagon Alley in ages!" He said with excitement in his voice.

"Nor have I. I still can't believe we're to be students there," I answered before adjusting myself, picking Clover up, and sitting upright to look at my friend, still sitting against the door.

"It's more like a dream, isn't it?" He asked, a smile on his face as Clover settled herself into my lap.

Benjamin really had changed drastically since we were children, both physically and emotionally. As a child, he was always a little larger with warm brown eyes, light brown hair, and a little on the plump side. At eleven years old, he was much slimmer, with only some of the baby weight remaining and his hair was much shorter. He claimed he couldn't stand having long hair, passed his ears, anymore. Benjamin was also not nearly as adventurous as he once was. It was quite a shame to me that as he grew older and started to meet new people he became much more interested in learning and books and such. There were times, with Benjamin, that I hardly even knew what he was talking about because he was speaking of some advanced topic that I had never even heard of. Trying to be supportive, I would smile and nod along, pretending as if I knew entirely what he was speaking of, when in reality, I hadn't the slightest.

Though Benjamin changed a bit, I had also changed. My hair was much longer than it ever had been before, nearly past my shoulders with more of a brown tint than red, but still auburn nonetheless. My body shape was nearly exactly the same as my father, who was always teased for being very bony and scrawny. It was quite annoying actually because I still looked like a small child, when in reality I wasn't that puny. Or at least…I didn't feel that puny.

Despite our natural differences as the years progressed, we were still the best of friends.

"It is like a dream," I said, moving Clover's collar, absentmindedly. She seemingly glared at me.

There was then a silence that hung over the room for several minutes before Benjamin spoke once again.

"Did you ever hear about Harry Potter?" He asked, rather out-of-the blue. This was not unlike Benjamin, however, because he always enjoyed informing me of new tidbits of information.

"Oh, please," I stated before falling to my back once again. "I've heard it plenty of times and it is quite obnoxious!"

It was as if I had said magic wasn't real.

"Obnoxious?" Benjamin exclaimed, as his toad let out a croak. "What makes you say that?"

"I mean," I started, not meaning to sound as cruel as I had. "It's basically the story _everyone's_ heard for years now. The boy's never going to have a normal life. He can't."

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders," They say he's living with Muggles and has been since the incident. He's nearly seven years old now. I'm sure that will be the easiest letter of acceptance Hogwarts will ever send out."

Clover made her way up to my chest again, let out a meow before sitting back down. I chuckled as I lifted her off and replied," I guess its only for his own good."

"It's only to protect him from You-Know-Who. I'm sure anyone in the Wizarding community would have offered him a home otherwise," He said as I, with a bored expression on my face looked up at the ceiling.

"My parents say all that is nonsense, to be frank. They think that You-Know-Who is dead and has been ever since the incident with the Potters. It's just something for people, like you, to talk about," I answered, scratching Clover, who was purring very content-like in my lap.

What I told Benjamin honestly was what my parents told me and believed. Harry Potter was an incredible story, but I pitied him slightly because I couldn't imagine all of the pests he would run into. Not only that, but ever since Potter there was a huge ordeal about the Dark Lord, many thought him to be dead, like my parents, while others believed him to still be on the run somewhere. To keep matters much more chipper, I liked to believe he was destroyed when the infant boy lived. At the time, my eleven-year old brain could not exactly capture the severity of this issue and therefore expressed very little interest in it.

"That's what a lot of people think," Benjamin said, as-matter-of-factly. "I like to think it else wise."

Just before I could answer, mother knocked at the door and peered inside," Tea's ready, darlings."

To prevent myself from getting into any longer of a conversation about history, I jumped up to my feet, nearly trampling over Benjamin before entering back into the kitchen where a hot tea kettle was stirring itself and sugar cubes were dancing out of the cupboard.

* * *

><p>"Lana! Hurry up! We're meeting the Flocktons at ten just outside of town and at this rate, we're going to be late!" Mother cried as I brushed my hair reverently, while in the back of my head still debating over what to wear.<p>

The day had finally arrived! The day when we would go to Diagon Alley and gather up all of my school supplies I would need. This was just one step closer to finally being at Hogwarts. I could hardly wait to go and meet up with the Flocktons. This was a day that we had waited for for so long and it had finally come.

I scurried my closet, after seemingly the thousandth time before picking out a pair of brown trousers and a red top. I threw on my clothes as quickly as possible before glancing in the mirror one last time.

"Lana!" Mother cried, nearly five minutes had passed and I still was not out the door.

"Coming mum!" I answered, reassuring her as I ran out of my room, nearly running over Clover, who let out an annoyed meow before curling back into a ball. Not paying near enough attention, I continued sprinting until I was at the front door, with mother, who was tying her cloak around her neck.

"Come, come!" She said as she fixed my hair with one hand as I ran through the front door.

She was quick to follow me and just as we came to the front porch, she looked both ways, making sure no Muggles happened to be passing by, and after she was certain, she grabbed my hand tightly. I was sure that it was already getting close to ten o' clock and the Flocktons would be expecting us at any minute. Suddenly, I saw the colors shifting in front of my eyes and the ground seemed to disappear. The feeling of confusion lingered for several moments before reality suddenly shifted back to normal and we seemed to standing in front of the Flockton's fireplace.

Mrs. Flockton flew like a blur passed us as she rushed into the kitchen, obviously frazzled for time just as we had been. Benjamin was nowhere to be seen as I looked up at my mother and let go of her hand. Mother looked down at me and just as I was going to question her about their whereabouts, Mrs. Flockon came into the room, breathless as Benjamin came in right behind her.

"Someone slept in a little late," Mrs. Flockton said, grabbing a small vase off of the mantel of their fireplace. She shot a look at her son, who merely stretched and let out a yawn before running his fingers through his messy hair.

The Flockton's home was very unique. In many ways, Mrs. Flockton took care of her home like my mother took care of ours. There were several portraits on the walls of their family members and many brooms floating by for their normal routine, but one thing that set their home apart was all of the trinkets they had lying about. Much like my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Flockton seemed to have a collection of magical objects that could turn any limb a different color simply by looking at it. I found myself very cautious even though nearly everything in the living room seemed to be put away in a glass cabinet.

The room was actually very small in size and the walls were a dark, maroon color with matching area rugs covering the hardwood floors underneath.

Before I could spend much more time observing my surroundings, Mrs. Flockton was already speaking at rapid speeds once more," Alrighty now, the both of you know to speak very clearly, correct? If not, who knows where you will end up."

"Yes, mum," Benjamin answered, with a very bored tone to his voice, as he stepped forward and shoved his hand into the vase.

His mother looked at him, as if disapproving of his appearance, before allowing him to step forward into the fireplace. He had to stoop down, ever so slightly. The Floo network always blew my mind at how efficiently and quickly it seemed to work. Only once before had I used it. Technologies of the magical world hardly ever ceased to amaze me. Sometimes, I had a hard time thinking Muggles could ever go without these luxuries.

"Alright, darling, on the count of three," Mrs. Flockton started, looking at him with concern-filled eyes as she started counting. "One, two…"

Before she could reach three, Benjamin had already dropped the powder into the fireplace and exclaimed," DIAGON ALLEY!"

She sighed before looking to mother and I. We all knew exactly what he had said, which was a good sign, but it was not an unknown fact among the three of us that Benjamin was growing into quite the attitude. Despite this, Mrs. Flockton then handed the vase to my mother, who stepped forward and followed in Benjamin's fashion. I then followed her, careful to enunciate very clearly before throwing down the powder.

All at once, it seemed that the ground beneath my feet was moving and I was sliding through the air to Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>Everything joyful in the Wizarding World existed in Diagon Alley. I couldn't help but smile as we walked down the cobblestone street, passing witches and wizards of all different types as we did. Some of the wizards were old and wearing robes that showed many years of wear, while other young witches were huddled together in front of stores such as Flourish and Blotts, gossiping among other things, I'm sure. Magic seemed to sit in the air around and if there was ever a time that I was happy to have magical blood, it was when my feet were standing on the cobblestone of Diagon Alley.<p>

En route to Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank, we passed a store with many owls in front of it, as well as cats, toads, and rats. Plenty of, what I assumed to be future students, were gathered in front of the owls, trying with all their might to get some sort of a reaction from them. The poise of the owls never ceased to amaze me and though I may have owned a cat, an owl was what nearly every student would have ideally had, or in my opinion, at least.

Mother told me, as we made our way through the narrow road, that we would need to make a withdrawal before we could do any shopping. That was a very painful trip to the bank because in order to get to Gringotts, one must pass nearly every shop that sat on Diagon Alley from Zonkos to Olivander's Wand Shop. How badly I wanted with every pass of the tall, excitement-filled shop to just drop in and browse for hours! I knew, however, that this was not an option.

When we finally arrived at Gringotts, Benjamin and I waited outside as our mothers ventured into the bank. It was an adventure in itself simply watching the patrons of Diagon Alley from the front of Gringotts's tall white marble columns supporting its front. There were plenty of wizards and witches, probably close to Benjamin and I's age who were pushing their way through the thick sea of people crowding the street. I assumed that in a mere matter of weeks, they, like us, would be boarding the Hogwarts Express. For a brief moment, I wondered if they could possibly be feeling the excitement I was feeling, but from the looks of pure joy on their faces; I could see that I was in good company.

"This place is a madhouse!" Benjamin exclaimed, as a teenage boy, just a few years older than us ran by with a fat, croaking toad in his hands.

"Isn't it amazing?" I asked, still taking in the sight of the tall shops, that seemed to stretch forever into the sky from where I stood.

I could have stood there for eternity, gazing into the alley. Benjamin continued speaking and I would give him input every now and again, just to make sure that I wasn't being completely rude to him. It wasn't that I ever intended to be this way with him, but the atmosphere of the alley had me literally blinded. All too soon, our mothers came out of Gringotts and I felt my mother place a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ready, darling?" She asked me, as I felt the whole Diagon Alley open before me.

"Absolutely," I answered, still in a daze as we entered into the hustle and bustle of the streets.

* * *

><p>"Lana, I think those are a little too big don't you think?" Mother questioned as the witch working in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions flicked her wand once more in front of me, causing the black fabric to drag nearly two feet longer than where they should have been.<p>

I, however, could have cared less how long the robes were. They were robes! They were real, live Hogwarts robes that I was actually wearing! I stared in the mirror, in total awe of the outfit as the wizard went to work, trying to fix the length of the robes. My problems were very minimal compared to Benjamin's.

"Ahh!" I heard him exclaim once and looked over to the stool where he was standing to see the robes hiked up nearly to his mid-calf. The robes continued growing shorter and shorter and I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of this.

"Oh, hush," The middle aged witch said to him as she hastily flicked her wand in front of him and the material began growing once again.

"You gave me quite a scare there for a moment," Benjamin muttered under his breath before looking to me and smiling. I couldn't help but laugh again before looking over to mother.

Several moments later, after both Benjamin and I had gotten our three sets of robes, hat, winter cloak, and protective gloves from Madam Malkin's, we proceeded to enter back into the crowded streets of Diagon Alley. All around, I saw many students around Benjamin and I's age tagging along at their parents coattails.

Mother decided that the next best place to go would be the bookstore that seemed to be the least crowded of the stores. After moments of passing through the busy street, we arrived to the store. Immediately, the smell of musty books entered my nose as I took a deep breath in. Reading was something that I did not particularly enjoy. The only type of books I liked were the childhood ones that father used to read to me. Never, did I have any interest in reading for leisure.

Benjamin seemed to disappear from our side as he went exploring through the shelves. I wasn't even able to let out a word to him, all I simply did was turn to find him gone.

"Where'd Benjamin-?" I started to ask, but his mother quickly interrupted.

"He nearly always does this. I'm sure he'll find you soon as he finds something interesting. Knowing Benjamin, that could be any moment now," She smiled down at me as she and my mother went off in search of the text books needed.

"Sounds good," I said, as they disappeared and I was suddenly all alone.

I walked through the aisles of books, feeling the looks of many curious wizards coming my way as I strolled along alone. Periodically, I would pick up a book and flip through it, but section after section found nothing that really fancied my interest. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what any of those books were about, but I was more or less just trying to fit in with the others who were strolling the aisles as if they had all the time in the world just to look for books. It blew my mind that folks actually read for fun.

Just as I was beginning to grow impatient with the bookstore, I turned another corner and continued wandering. I looked at all the books of different shapes and sizes, still trying only to fit in with the older witches and wizards browsing. Finding it be time to stop and look at another book, I picked up a blue book that seemed to be falling apart nearly as soon as I touched it. Not even looking at the cover, I delicately flipped through the pages.

"You know, if you want a book on elves, I find _Flemming's Handbook on Elves_ to be much more useful," A toadher high-pitched voice said, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin, to the moon and back.

I instinctively slammed the book shut, feeling incredibly embarrassed for being caught. Colour immediately rushed to my face as I spluttered, trying to think of a logical response to this boy," Uh-um, well-"

"BUT-" The boy added intelligently, snatching the book from my hands. " I do find the lifestyle and personality traits section of _Edwin's_ to be toadher useful…"

The thin, tall boy with fire, red hair continued to spout off all this information and talking about the downfalls of "Edwin's", which was apparently the book I had, by chance, picked up, and how it "_clearly_" was not written by scholars as "Flemming's" had been. "Any ol' bloke" could figure that one out, according to this, very studious and toadher imposing boy, whose intelligence was impressive, but slightly obnoxious, as well.

I felt as though any intelligence I had developed over the eleven years of my life was not nearly as expansive in comparison to his. All I could do was watch, with my jaw on the verge of dropping, as he listed off all of this information that was easily over my head. All I had intended on doing was wandering the aisles of the bookstore, trying to fit in with the Wizarding community and here was this…boy, not much older than me, who obviously thought I was actually interested in this stuff. How in the world was I going to break it to him that I wasn't?

Luckily, he didn't leave many time spaces for breaks in speech…nor breaths for that matter. I only found it necessary for me to nod my head and pretend as though I was following.

"If you've got any more questions-" He said to me, but before he could finish the phrase, a fiery woman's voice, could be heard echoing down the aisle of books.

"Percy Weasley! We have been looking ALL over this store for you! Now hurry on up, we're about to go! Your brothers have probably already torn up the house by now…" She spouted off at the boy in the most angry whisper I had ever heard.

This was easily the boy's, or Percy toadher, mother. Her bright red, voluminous hair was the exact replica of Percy's. The boy shut the book, I watched colour run to his face as he shoved the book back in the self and started walking toward his mother. She was a toadher plump woman and simply by looking at her and hearing her voice, I would have been just as scared of her. It amazed me at how quickly he had shut up, simply from hearing her.

"Only helping out a first year, mother," He said, with a toadher professional tone to his voice as if she was overreacting entirely.

The mother's eyes turned to me as an immediately wave of empathy seemed to pass over her face," Oh darling, is that true?"

I swallowed hard, finding this to be my first opportunity to speak in a while," Yes, ma'am it is-"

"Where's your mother at? Why are you wandering around here all alone?-" I cut her off before she could get too far off on a tangent.

"She's just around the corner," I reassured her with a smile, even though I, in fact, hadn't a clue where she was.

She returned the smile before placing a hand on her son's shoulder to hurry him along, her concern for my well-being seemed to be secured," Oh good, well, sweetheart-what is your name?"

"I'm Lana," I said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, finding this woman far too friendly.

"Lana, I hope you have a wonderful first year at Hogwarts," She said, rushing through her words as they started to back away. "We really must be going…perhaps we will run into you again sometime. Goodbye!"

Percy also bid his farewell, but much less boisterously than his mother had. One question came to my head and just after I said goodbye to the Weasley mother and her son, I called after them.

"Hey, how did you know I was a first year?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the red-headed boy.

"Oh," Percy said, matter-of-factly. "Simply an assumption."

His mother chuckled slightly at this," It wasn't but a year ago, you were a first year, as well. Now, come along Percy."

And with that, they exited the bookstore.

**Author's Note: I wanted to add so much more to this chapter, but this will have to do for now. Let me know what you think!** **Reviews are greatly appreciated :D**


	5. The Wandmaker

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am not making any money off of this story.**

Chapter Five: The Wandmaker

I smiled as I thought about running into those two again. Percy and his mother seemed like quite the characters. It amazed me how intelligent Percy was, but it was also slightly obnoxious, as well. I didn't know how long I would have been able to be around him, listening to him rattle on and on about facts. I immediately took back this thought because I realized it was a little unfair to him. I didn't even really know him all that well…

Putting them aside, I figured I would have to run into my mother, Mrs. Flockton, or Benjamin eventually. I continued my aimless wandering up and down the aisles, just as I had done before Percy interrupted me. Eventually, I came upon a boy with brown hair, sitting in a rather large, padded chair next to a window that looked out onto the busy street below. I noticed the title on the book to be _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

The boy looked to be not much older than I was. He seemed to be very absorbed in this book and I almost considered saying nothing to him, but Quidditch was something that I had always been interested in. Surely, I wouldn't be bothering him so much that he wouldn't answer a single question.

"You play Quidditch?" I asked him, tilting my head ever so slightly to notice a pile of Quidditch books sitting at his side.

I saw the boy nearly jump out of his skin and I slightly regretted saying anything to him. He looked up at me, furrowed his brow at me briefly before processing the question that had just been asked of him," Me? Oh, no…not yet anyways."

Immediately, I noticed his accent. I may have had an accent from growing up in Britian, but he most definitely had a different accent than I. I assumed it to be a Scottish accent, which made me even more intrigued by this boy.

"Oh," I said with a nod of my head, realizing the awkward pause in the conversation. "You seem to have quite the collection there."

He looked down at the pile at his feet before smirking," I guess you could say that."

There was another awkward pause as he looked down at the book. I sensed that all he wanted was for me to leave him be, but I stood there for a moment more, still wanting to know more about him. He gave me an irritated look as he glanced up from his book. It amazed me how intense this kid was studying this stuff. You would have thought that I was directly insulting him.

"Is there…any other reason why you're still here?" He asked me, an annoyed tone to his voice, but not being directly rude in tone.

I furrowed my brows and crossed my arms, taken back by his comment," I was simply going to ask you if you went to Hogwarts, but if I'm that much of a pest…"

He sighed, obviously regretting his comment," I'm sorry it's just that…it's my second year at Hogwarts and this is my first big chance to be on the Quidditch team. This is basically like studying for a huge final for me."

"It's just a sport," I said with a chuckle, and instantly regretted it. I felt like an idiot. This kid had a stack of Quidditch books at his feet and he wasn't much older than I was. Obviously, he took it very seriously. His reaction was going to be explosive, I assumed.

He looked me directly in the eye before saying with a growl," Quidditch is much more than a sport."

I narrowed my eyes at him and opened my mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by Benjamin, who nearly knocked me over from behind," Lana! You'll never believe this! Look at this!"

"Benjamin!" I exclaimed, scared nearly out of my mind as he shoved a book into my hands.

Looking over, I saw the Scottish boy slam his book shut and pick up the other three or four at his feet, tucking some under his arm as he started to migrate to another portion of the store. Presumably, somewhere more quiet. I thought that he would just go about and say nothing else to me; he was probably wishing I had never stopped to question him, but before he could leave, I spoke to him.

"It was nice talking to you!" I called after him, wondering if he would even acknowledge me.

He reluctantly turned back before saying with what I sensed to be a pleasant tone to his voice," You too. "

Mentally, I scolded myself for even speaking to the boy. He obviously just wanted to revel in Quidditch and not speak with anyone else. I was only trying to be cordial, but I guess he didn't see it that way. Despite my embarrassment, I eventually put the Scottish boy out of my head. Perhaps, I would see him at school, but I preferred that I never have to see him again. He seemed to have much more important things to worry about than socializing. I hadn't even learned his name!

After he was gone, I looked over to Benjamin who seemed to be ecstatic to show me a boy that looked as though it was about to fall out of its binding.

"This book has nearly every little piece of information about Hogwarts imaginable!" He exclaimed, pointing to several pictures and diagrams.

I loved Benjamin, I truly did, but I needed some sort of adventure. How badly I wanted to be at Hogwarts, rather than simply hearing more about it.

* * *

><p>Whenever we found our mothers again, my mother informed me that our next stop was Ollivander's Wand Shop. Selecting a wand was nearly the most important decision of a wizard's life…or one of them, at least. After pushing through the crowded street for a third time, we reached the old wand shop and found it to be nearly empty.<p>

An elderly gentlemen emerged from many aisles of what I assumed to be wands, he smiled as he came to the counter and looked from my mother to me. He then turned to Mrs. Flockton and Benjamin, still smiling.

"You seem to have come at just the right time. Moments ago, I had a filled shop," The man told us as he opened a book on his desk, as if filling in the records. "Welcome back, I do recognize the both of you," He said, referencing our mothers.

My mother smiled as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear," Yes, that was several years ago, Mr. Ollivander."

"Let me see…Mrs. Stockholm, correct? I believe your wand to be a beechwood, just shy of ten and three quarters in length with a core of unicorn tail hair..yes?" He asked her, many of his words sounding foreign to my ears.

A smile crept on to her face," You've quite the memory, Mr. Ollivander. That's exactly perfect."

He returned her smile," I remember every wand I have sold, Mrs. Stockholm."

He then turned his attention to Mrs. Flockton and said," And you, you too purchased a wand here…let me see..you are now Mrs. Flockton, correct? Previous…before getting married you were a Thompson… Hmm… Your wand is a twelve inch holly with dragon heartstring as a core. Yes?"

Mrs. Flockton released a chuckle before saying," That is correct."

As if proud of his accomplishments, Mr. Ollivander smiled before looking down at me and asking," And so here comes the next member of the family…this is your daughter?" He asked my mother, glancing up at her.

My mother placed a hand on my shoulder before saying softly," Yes, this is Lana."

"Ah, Miss Lana, well…why don't we find a wand for you?" The elderly gentlemen said with good humor as he placed a finger on his lip, as if in thought. I was in awe of the shop, there was something..well..magical, as cliché as that sounded, about it. I had always passed this store, but never stepped inside. There was never a reason for me to go inside Ollivander's.

Just after the man disappeared behind the shelves, he reappeared briefly," The father…he had a blackwood…twelve inches with a phoenix core..correct?"

I looked up at mother, seeing if he was really as accurate as he claimed to be. Mother put a small grin on her face before nodding her head in affirmation," I believe so."

Mr. Ollivander merely shook his head before turning again and disappearing. It seemed to be an eternity of standing and waiting before he reappeared with three dusty boxes stacked atop of one another. Carefully, he set each box out on the desk as I approached him. One by one, he lifted the lids on the boxes and revealed a wand lying inside.

My jaw nearly dropped to the ground as I looked upon the three light brown wands sitting in their boxes. He smiled at the look on my face and picked one of the wands up, examined it before stating," Here, Miss Lana, is a wand that I myself enjoy quite a bit."

I stared at the thin piece of light brown wood as he lifted it from its case and twirled it in his own fingers," This, my dear, is a wand made of dogwood. It is nearly eleven inches long with unicorn hair as a core. Should this wand be the one for you, I guarantee it will be loyal to you until the end."

I smirked at him and extended my hand out to him, tenderly he placed the wand into my palm and I wrapped my fingers around, hardly believing the moment was real," How do I know if it chooses me?"

"Well, I'm sure you will simply just know, but why don't you give it wave around and see what happens?" Mr. Ollivander chuckled, as I looked closely at the wand.

There was definitely something alluring about that wand sitting in my hand, but I could not necessarily tell if it was to be trusted or not. I was a little leery of this wand right off the bat and as soon as I twirled it about in the shop, the strangest thing happened…it seemed to throw itself out of my hand and onto the floor. I looked up to Mr. Ollivander for some sort of explanation for this event that the rest of my party seemed to find quite humorous.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned if I had damaged his wand.

He chuckled before sauntering over to pick up the wand from the ground," No, Miss Stockholm, you did nothing of the sort. Dogwood wands are very particular about their owners because they tend to be more 'social' of all the other wands and have quite the attitude, as you can see. All this simply tells me is that we need to keep searching."

I smirked at Mr. Ollivander, but also found him to be very eccentric. He spoke of wands as if they were…people. Nevertheless, I came back to his desk and waited as he put away the Dogwood wand before handing me another light brown wand with a large handle and round tip.

"This, Miss Stockholm, is a wand of hazel wood. It too is under eleven inches with a core of unicorn. Another wand that is very tightly knit with its owner, very selective about whom it chooses. A hazel wand will mourn when you mourn and applaud when you suceed. It is, indeed a very unique wand. Here you are," He said and I felt the weight of the wand sit in my palm briefly before turning and giving it a small wave.

How strange it was to wave this wand! I felt as though there was something…missing in this wand as well. A small puff was released from the end of the wand, but nothing else was emitted. There was a sudden cut off feeling with this wand and I knew that there was more shopping to be done.

Mr. Ollivander nodded, understanding," I see, well, now I am rather confident as to which wand you will possess, but for safety's sake, let's have you try said wand."

He took the Hazel wood wand from me and boxed it up before moving on to the last box. Softly, he placed his hand under the wand and before giving it to me said," This wand is a very unusual wand, indeed. I will tell you, Miss Stockholm, that only certain witches can handle a wand such as this. Alder wood is unyielding, or stubborn if you will. When an alder wand searches for a owner, it looks for nearly the opposite of itself. An owner of an alder wand is typically more likeable and compassionate. This wand is an alder wand with dragon heartstring as a core and just under eleven inches, give it a twirl and see how it does."

I nodded, finding the traits of this particular wand to be rather intriguing. I grabbed the wand tenderly and turned away from Mr. Ollivander. This wand was most definitely different than other wands…there was something that I felt while holding this wand that I did not feel at all with any of the other two. All of my body seemed to be at peace and it was no question after I waved the wand that it was the one for me.

No spell was said and no thought went through my head, but at the mere wave of the wand, a thick shower of sparks was emitted, lighting up nearly the entire store. My mother screeched and put her hands over her gasping mouth before Mr. Ollivander looked at me with a wide smile on his face.

"It is just as I presumed," He said softly with a nice smile on his face.

It was as though a piece of me literally was latched onto this shining, brown piece of wood in my hand. Reluctantly, I passed the wand back to Mr. Ollivander and allowed for him to make selections for Benjamin. Excitedly, I told Benjamin of the feelings of waving a wand for the first time and waited anxiously for him to receive his, as well. Benjamin ended up with a nine inch, pine wand that was rather springy with a dragon heartstrings core.

As much as we wanted to spend the rest of the trip waving our wands about and pretending to actually know what we were doing, our mothers confiscated the wands and told us that we were to finish our shopping, which seemed to be not nearly as entertaining as choosing a wand.

However, before we continued our shopping I found that something strange happened just after my mother paid for the wand. Frail, Mr. Ollivander was tucking away the gold coins into his drawer, but just as mother bid him a farewell, he grabbed her by the arm. I saw her jump slightly at his touch.

"Mrs. Stockholm…would you mind a word for a moment? It will not take long I assure you," Mr. Ollivander said in a rather chipper voice. My mother looked at him out of the side of her eye before warily speaking.

"Yes, of course," She said and then looked to Mrs. Flockton, saying," Go ahead and take them to finish up. I'll be out shortly."

And so we continued shopping for several minutes before mother found us once again in a store where we purchased a couple of glass containers for what I presumed to be for Potions. Mother had a very cross look on her face as she threw open the door to the shop and came storming, unlike I had ever seen her before. She tried to speak quietly to Mrs. Flockton, but her words still caught my ear. I felt a little guilty, but it was such a strange event to be gone unseen or unheard.

"How dare that man make such an accusation!" She whispered harshly under her breath.

Immediately, I looked up at my mother. Mrs. Flockton saw my gaze and shot my mother a warning look before pulling her by the arm and stepping around the corner.

In my mind, all I wanted to know was what in the world a gentle, kind wand maker such as Mr. Ollivander could have done to infuriate my mother so greatly.

**Author's Note: Alright, so next chapter we're off to Hogwarts! I hope you all liked this chapter and the brief little run-in with Oliver Wood. There will definitely be more about him later, but I just wanted you all to see a little of him now.**

**What are your thoughts on the wand shop? I had to do some researching on this wand lore…pretty complex stuff. What do you think Mr. Ollivander said to Mrs. Stockholm? Let me know in a review! They would be greatly appreciated! A thanks goes out to those who have reviewed/ favorite'd/ alerted this story! Lots of love to you! ****:)**


	6. September 1st

Chapter Six: September 1st

After we returned home and the magic from the trip to Diagon Alley had come to a cease, my mother immediately sorted out all of the supplies bought and began to find the proper cases for all of them to be contained in. I tried speaking with her, casually, as we always did, but it was very strange how she managed to put me off time and time again. By this time, I was smart enough to know that mother must have been bothered with something. Something that Mr. Ollivander must have said to her.

Nevertheless, I played her little game and went out to the back yard to talk with Benjamin, mostly talk about the events from the day.

It wasn't until the end of the day, after the Flocktons had left and father had returned home when I was finally able to receive some insight as to what had been said. Mother and father were under the impression that I was asleep in bed and comfortable, but what they didn't know that in the shadows just outside their closed door was their concerned daughter, who wanted nothing more than to know what was bothering them, or mother at least.

"Richard, why would he say this?" I heard mother whisper, but her tone was much more than a whisper. She was angry, furious even as she growled at my father.

"Mary, I haven't any idea as to why he would say this, but I say that we merely take this one day at a time…which means that-" He started to say something, but she interrupted.

"Don't tell me what I think you're going to say…" She pouted and I could imagine the look on her face through the door.

"Cut off all contact with Peter Pettigrew," Father said, nearly under his breath.

"Oh, please Richard," She sighed as I heard her footsteps come dangerously close to the door. "He's barely intelligent enough to know up from down, do you really think he intends to go through with? Plus, should he ever try to do such things-"

She trailed off, seemingly lost in the moment as father picked up on the silence.

"You don't know what you'd do. Peter has been a good companion, but we still don't know what exactly happened with the Potters, Mary. Do we really want to be associated with-" Father tried, but she stomped her foot down hard.

"Are you daft, Richard? We were told to believe that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters…how dare you even mention else wise. I would not want to tempt the powers who threatened us," She muttered to him and I, even though I was not in the room could feel the tension between the both of them.

He let out a rather loud sigh before I heard the springs of the bed depress, presumably under his weight," Mary, our daughter may be at risk. Why are you holding on to a friendship that doesn't even benefit us? It's dangerous. Especially after knowing of this wand choosing Lana."

"He said that it doesn't necessarily mean that she will be attracted to the Dark Arts," Mother said, or whimpered rather.

"You're changing the subject," Father growled at her.

Mother continued, nevertheless," It could only mean that she had the _potential_ to be drawn to the Dark Arts…or rather she could simply be a brilliant potions student."

"Mary…" Father still said with a dark tone to his voice as I heard his weight shift on the bed. "Just don't communicate with him. Let's not be irrational."

"I'm trying to be rational! I'm trying to show you that this wand lore could simply be wrong or just a load of hogwash!" Mother exclaimed, a little louder than the typical tone of the conversation thus far.

"Wand lore is something I find to be very reliable, actually. Wands directly reflect their wielder and one of two things could come of this, since the wood that Lana's is made of is very susceptible to the Dark Arts, she could be drawn to those that linger in the dark, but if we are to keep a positive light about us then she will be just fine. Mr. Ollivander did not mean to frighten us, but simply warn us of what could happen if we are not protecting her constantly," Father said, his tone much calmer than it had been before and almost comforting as I heard mum's footsteps walk over toward the bed and place her weight upon the bed.

"Do you genuinely believe that Peter is corrupt?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"I do not know for sure, but I want to not play with our chances," Father answered, I took a step closer to hear him more clearly.

It was then that the conversation took an entirely different turn and I heard my mother sobbing," I don't want her to follow in her the footsteps of my mother, Richard."

There was another silence and I nearly pressed my ear to the door to hear what was said next by my father," She doesn't have to."

I could have listened for much longer, but I found that there was little that would benefit me any. Silently, I tiptoed back to my room and pressed the door shut behind me. Slowly, careful not to make any floor boards creak, I stepped into my bed that I had left made down and before laying down, pulled my knees to my chest and allowed for the words said by my parents to sink in.

I looked over to where the wand box sat on my desk with the moonlight shining down on it.

Maybe, I didn't necessarily understand why this wand had chosen me or why my parents were so concerned about this wand lore, but one thing was for certain…I would never allow for the consequences that they mentioned occur.

* * *

><p>Before any of us could blink, it was September 1st.<p>

"Lana! Wake up!" Mother threw the door open and nearly skipped across the room to pull open the curtains.

I groaned, temporarily oblivious to what day it was and how big of a milestone this was in my life. The main predicament I was in was the fact that I lacked sleep and it was much too early for me to be awake. However, after a yawn or two and stretching to the ceiling, I was then able to join in my mother's excitement.

"Can you believe this day has finally come, love?" She asked, leaving the room, but still talking to me as she entered into the washroom across the hall.

"Hardly!" I replied, with a

Smiling, I turned to my dresser and pulled open one of the drawers, carefully picking out a pair of brown trousers and a rose pink shirt. Quickly, I dressed before looking outside to see that it was a cloudy day in England, despite the phenomenal event occurring on that day. Just as I was leaving my room, I pulled my single white scarf off of the hook on my wall where it sat next to my blue jean jacket. Realizing how chilly it would be, I pulled the jacket off as well before continuing over to the washroom where mother seemed to be carefully packing nearly everything I would need.

Clover passed by me, very slowly as I came to the door frame. Originally, the cat was going to accompany me to Hogwarts, but after many weeks of seemingly dragging herself around the house, mum and father found it would be in the best interest of myself and Clover that she stay home. As if she knew I were thinking of her, she looked up and let out a lazy meow.

I bent down and pet her gently as she continued down the hallway before curling up at the end in a ball and presumably falling asleep.

Just as I entered to look in the mirror, she let out sigh as if she were doing too many tasks at once.

"Mum, do you need any help with anything?" I asked her as I searched for my brush profusely before realizing it must have been packed away in the satchel of personal supplies sitting on the toilet lid.

Careful not to disrupt her special arrangement, I pulled open the strings and found my brush sitting at the bottom of her specially arranged tower. Quickly, I brushed out the kinks in my hair, which took little effort because of how little volume my hair naturally had. I placed the brush back into the bag and pulled the strings closed just as I looked in the mirror one last time, to check one last time.

I took a moment to simply look in the reflection and let out a deep breath to take in the moment.

This was actually happening.

I was going to Hogwarts!

I looked around the little washroom and was hit with the reality of the moment. This would be the last time I would be in the washroom until Christmas break. I was about to leave home for the longest period of time that I had ever been away from home!

I could hardly stay anxious about this for long because all at once I had a rush of happiness flood over me and released an involuntary giggle in pure excitement. Mother happened to walk in just as I did this and I felt my cheeks instantly heat up.

"Excited, are we?" She asked, chuckling slightly as she pulled the satchel over her shoulder.

"You could say that," I said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, embarrassed.

My mother smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder," Well, while you're still under my roof, why don't you sit down to breakfast and I can tell you where I've packed all of your necessities."

She exited the bathroom and I followed close behind her as I shut off the light switch. How strange this was…in a matter of hours, I would essentially be caring for myself. I would be living on my own away from home, but that hardly mattered because I would be in a place where I was sure to make plenty of fond memories.

* * *

><p>Breakfast was much more stressful than it had ever been in my entire eleven years of living with my mother and father. Not only did I have to listen to mother gabbing at me about where each and every single one of my articles of clothing was located in my trunk, but she also proceeded on to explain every other little trinket that she had packed in either my toiletries bag or personal bag. In all honesty, I was spacing out after she was two shirts into trunk number one.<p>

My father, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He seemed to simply add in his input between my mother's long spiels. He would throw in some random fact about Hogwarts or tip that I should keep in mind while changing classes. It was all a little hard to swallow…especially when they started talking at the same time.

There came a point in time where my crumpets and tea simply wasn't enjoyable anymore because of their jabbering at the same time, seeming oblivious of the other.

"Now Lana, look here I've got this packed in the third pocket in the front-"

"Lana, keep in mind that when you take your flying lessons the best thing to do is stay calm-"

"Lana, dear! Listen to me, I've got your toothbrush in this pouch-"

"Simply pay attention to the stair patterns…they like to change up-"

Before either one of them could speak again, I finally couldn't take it any longer and outburst.

"Mum! Father!" They both look at me like a deer in the headlights. "I understand that you both want the best for me…but could you please give it a rest? I think that I could recite where each and every one of my items are in that trunk and dad, I'll make sure that I follow all of your tips."

Mother closed the trunk with thud before nodding simply and forcing a smile to her face," Of course, darling."

Father took a sip of his tea before agreeing," Of course."

"Thank you," I said before taking another bite of my crumpet and feeling the awkward air settle in. I looked from the both of them as I finished my breakfast and placed the dishes in the sink. I smiled to the both of them before walking over to my satchel, looking for the second pouch on the right before pulling out my toothbrush, smiling at my mother and walking to my bathroom to brush my teeth.

* * *

><p>King's Cross was one place that was a little too busy for my liking. I kept a close watch on my father, who walking in front of mother and I, pushing the trolley filled with my luggage. Mother had explained to me just before we left the house that the Hogwarts Express would leave from Platform 9 ¾ at precisely eleven o' clock in the morning.<p>

As we pushed through the crowd, I noticed on my mother's watch that it was nearly ten minutes until eleven as we fought our way through the crowd. When we finally reached the platforms, it seemed as if there couldn't be more people around us. I knew that both of my parents were agitated and I simply tried to take in the moment. Despite being amongst a sea of Muggles, the absolute opposite of all things magical, I could feel something in the air that I never felt before.

"Okay, here we are," Father said to the both of us as we came to what appeared to be a stone barrier between platform 9 and 10.

I looked up to my mother, baffled, but before I could even ask her any questions, I found her grabbing my arm and running full-force toward this stone barrier. Instantly, I thought that one of two things was happening: I was either dreaming or my parents had gone mad because the last time I checked, not even wizards were invincible to running straight into a brick wall.

Just as I prepared for impact, I found that the pain was seemingly…well, not there. I opened my eyes and saw that we had gone…through the wall. With a shake of my head, I learned not to question magic and found this to simply be a Hogwarts thing because right in front of me stood a magnificent red steam engine with the words _Hogwarts Express_ printed in gold letters across the front.

Father disappeared briefly to go pack away my luggage for me while mother and I made our way through a much less crowded group of people, but far more interesting. Just as we entered the crowd, I looked up to see a sign, similar to the one's dangling from the barriers in King's Cross, that said _Platform 9 ¾._

This was finally real.

The train let out a long, loud whistle and I saw that many of the other students of all shapes and sizes were boarding the train. Father made it back just in time to embrace me one last time. Just after he pulled me tight to him, he placed his hands on my shoulders and said," You are sure to love it there, Lana. I don't doubt it one bit. Just don't forget about your mother and I."

I laughed at this before hugging him again.

"I love you, sweetheart," He muttered to me before turning me over to mother.

I looked directly into mother's hazel eyes and found that they were swelling with tears as she embraced me. I was proud that she was able to contain her tears however, but she kept her talking to a minimal even though I knew she wanted to say far more than just," I love you, darling. Be good."

I looked directly into her eyes, remembering her fears that she had many nights ago. For some reason, at that moment as I stared straight into her eyes, the words that her and father shared unbeknown to me, as well, crept back into my head.

"…_our daughter may be at risk_."

And for that one brief moment, a wave of chills was sent down my spine and a tad bit of fear ran through my blood.

"Lana!" I heard a voice call from behind me and instantly, I turned on my heel to find Benjamin sticking his head out of the window, waving elatedly to me. "C'mon, what're you waiting for?"

Smiling, my brief moment of nostalgia was replaced with excitement as I turned to my parents and said one last time," I love you! See you at Christmas!"

Quickly, as the whistle blew again, I climbed aboard the steam engine, hardly able to believe what was happening. As soon as I set foot on the engine, I found myself running to Benjamin at the window and looking out to where my parents stood, my father's arm draped around my mother as they waved to me.

I smiled to them while waving, watching as the last of the students said farewell to their parents and boarded the train. There was a congregation of parents, standing closely together and even pushing around one another simply to get that one last glance at their child before they were gone on the Hogwarts Express.

"We're finally here!" He said to me, hardly containing his enthusiasm.

"I know, can you believe it?" I exclaimed before turning back to the window, watching as parents called to their children, waving frantically. The Flocktons had found their way to my parents, they were chatting casually, looking rather calm compared to the rest of the mothers and fathers yelling last-minute reminders to their children.

At that moment, we all felt a sudden shift forward and realized that the train was in motion en route to Hogwarts.

I waved and smiled to my parents, as they waved and smiled right back. I could tell that they were trying to look calm and composed and they succeeded in comparison to the other parents. I waved until we were nearly out of sight and at that moment, as I pulled my head out of the window realized that the dream I had grown up with was, at that moment, a reality.

**Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to the reviews! Love to you all and reviews would be very nice, if you have any spare time :) ****Let me know what you think will happen next…**


	7. Interesting Encounters

**Disclaimer: I am not nearly as brilliant as J.K. Rowling; therefore, she owns Harry Potter and all its inhabitants…not I.**

Chapter Seven: Interesting Encounters

I could hardly seem to keep my balance as we pushed our way through the crowded train whilst everyone tried to settle into their individual compartments. Plenty of times, I had been on a train with mother and father, but this train was unlike any other I had been on before.

Benjamin and I stayed close to each other and found that by the time we were able to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, only a single compartment was left. Before opening the door, we noticed a boy sitting beside a girl in the compartment, they looked to be talking casually and it only took me a split second to recognize the boy as Percy from the bookstore.

Percy was a very interesting character, indeed. I had rather enjoyed his company at the bookstore and was, at first, looking forward to sitting next to him on the train ride, but after only a few moments after we had been reunited and reintroduced to one another had I realized my mistake.

"And that is when Aspen wood is one of the least common forms of wands, unless of course you are a…." And so he drawled on to Benjamin and the girl beside him, whom I later learned to be Penelope Clearwater, a girl from Ravenclaw, another house at Hogwarts.

Benjamin instantly clicked with Percy and seemed to make his acquaintance rather easily. I, on the other hand, found myself nodding in and out of sleep for the entirety of the train ride that I spent with them. After another student had stuck her head in to inform us that we were halfway to Hogwarts, I found that it would not harm the social aspect of the compartment if I simply led myself out of the compartment to…"get some fresh air".

After excusing myself from the intense conversation, I found myself in the corridor of the train that seemed to be the main passageway. Nearly instantly, I was ran into by an older student who, seemingly, had no concern for any other person. Just after hitting the side of the train with a harsh thump, no major injuries, but simply offended, I turned my head to see just who was so rude as to care so little of others in the corridor.

A boy with black, greasy hair and matching black eyes met my glance with a rowdy, smile showing all of his crooked teeth. I noticed that his robes were lined with green and as he turned, the chest emblem had, no surprise, a snake sewn onto it.

"Marcus!" One of the older girls, who had just entered only to see the scene, yelled at him sternly. "Apologize. Now."

He turned his lip up at the girl, almost in a snarl, before reluctantly turning to me and spitting out," Sorry."

Immediately, I disliked this boy. Perhaps, I would have been able to let the incident slip had he genuinely felt bad about pushing me into the wall, despite the fact that it hadn't hurt me any. The look of his greasy hair and crooked smile simply made my insides turn, even though I didn't even know him. It only went to show that first impressions were very important.

The girl who had scolded him looked down at me," Don't pay him any attention. He's a little stuck on himself, if you can't tell…no one's really figured out why…it's not like he's got much going for him."

I gave this girl a small smile before saying," Well, thanks, nonetheless."

"Anytime," She said and I noticed that she too was already in her robes, lined with a canary yellow. I knew enough of Hogwarts to know that this meant she was in Hufflepuff.

Just as I turned away from her, she grabbed my arm," Wait a minute! You haven't told me your name."

"And you haven't told me yours," I said with a smirk as I moved toward her compartment where several other Hufflepuff were sitting inside, chatting casually.

"Well, I'm Nymphadora Tonks…and please, just call me Tonks. That's only best for both me and you," She said with a smile, but I didn't know whether or not to be slightly frightened by this girl. "I'm in my fifth year here. Hufflepuff," She said with a nod to her canary yellow emblem on her chest.

Plesantly, she stuck her hand out to me which I gladly shook before saying," I'm Lana Stockholm."

She smiled back and before there was much time for a silence to fill the gap," Since you're new at this whole Hogwart's thing, here's a little bit of advice: when a Slytherin tries to treat you like dirt, just give a little back. It can't hurt their abundance of pride they seem to have. That's Marcus Flint, he's just two years under me, but don't let him pick on you, alright?"

"Alright," I said, nearly too in awe still to say much else.

Just as I opened my mouth to part ways with her," Oh and by the way, Lana, you might want to change your clothes. We're probably getting close now."

"Oh, right," I said with another small smile. "I'll do that."

I turned away from the fifth year girl with a quirky aura, brown hair, and pleasant personality. And before I could completely be broken from her conversation, she called to me one last time," Hey, Lana! Anytime you have any questions…just ask!"

"Thanks," I said, nodding appreciatively to her before turning my back one last time to head back to the intense conversation being held between Penelope, Percy, and Benjamin.

As soon as I opened the compartment, I found that there was nothing that I seemed to miss. In fact, I believe that they would not have even noticed my re-entering had I not nearly dropped my entire trunk on Penelope, who elicited a small squeal when she looked up to see my losing grip on the suitcase.

"Be more careful, won't you?" Percy demanded, showing a sudden protectiveness over this girl.

I thought him to be joking at first, but after a moment or so I realized he was very serious indeed. I apologized softly before looking to Benjamin who seemed to be stifling a laugh. At least one thing was for certain, Benjamin wasn't going to be a total "stick in the mud". Badly, I wanted to laugh at the whole ordeal, but with Percy's eyes burning a hole through me, I grabbed my cloaks and made my way to the loo.

* * *

><p>The line to the loo was nearly intolerable and I chatted with several of the girls waiting to change. I saw all that I had been missing by staying and trying to entertain myself with Percy's conversation. Granted, I did not want to completely take away from Percy because he had been one of the first to ever approach me, but I most definitely needed to make other friendships, as well.<p>

Girls from all over spoke to me, many of them first years such as myself, but some of them were older and were able to provide a peace of mind to those of us curious about how we were going to settle in to Hogwarts.

One girl, in particular, was named Anna and she was a first year, like myself. We chatted and seemed to make each others acquaintance rather quickly. Anna had long, dark, wavy hair that reached down to nearly her lower back. She was from London and lived in a flat with her parents for nearly all of her life. It took very little time for her to admit to me that both of her parents were non-magical and that they were both far more interested in their work than her studies.

That being said, I had to put her on hold as I entered into the loo and came out several seconds later, clad in entirely black cloaks that nearly dragged to the floor. The feel of the clothes was still surreal, but seeing myself next to all of the other students gave me a sense of completion, or fitting in rather.

Standing outside, I spoke little to any others, but waited for my new companion to change before we began speaking once more.

"Since my parents didn't care much for this 'magic', they both thought it best I move in with my aunt who raised an entire wizarding family on her own out in the country. I haven't seen my family in quite a long time now, but that's alright I suppose. They say I can come back to the city for holidays and such," The blue-eyed girl told me with much expression. "And what of you? What is your family like?"

We walked down the corridor as I replied to her," Nearly all of my family members I can name or remember are magical. I've always been exposed to it and can't really imagine life without it much. My mother and father met at Hogwarts, they were both sorted into Gryffindor. They've been telling me about this school like it is some sort of…heaven or something," I said with a chuckle.

Anna nodded her head and laughed along before saying seriously," From what I've read, it is most definitely a safe-haven for all things magic which may be why it intrigues me so much and I haven't been able to stop reading about it since I received my letter."

Her words reminded me of Benjamin's actions," You sound like my good friend, Benjamin. He hasn't been able to put down the books. I started out reading them, but after a certain point, I was beginning to get anxious."

She laughed as we came upon the candy trolley and saw nearly all of the Wizarding candies imaginable stacked in a perfect manner before our eyes.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans?" Anna asked apprehensively as she picked up the red and white box on the tray to examine it thoroughly before paying for it. "Is it possible to have _every_ flavor?"

The attendant to the candy trolley, a rather plump, jolly woman turned to Anna and with a smile and a wink said," Why don't you try it and see for yourself?"

I seconded the motion before picking up a couple of chocolate frogs for myself. Anna seemed to find all of the candies very interesting and bought several different types. I couldn't necessarily blame her. Wizarding candies were very intriguing even after the first time of seeing them.

I had gotten so lost in the conversation with Anna and with the candy that I nearly forgot I was still holding my old clothes. Anna too had been lugging hers about with her and we both agreed we should probably re-pack them. She wanted to come along with me so when we re-entered the compartment, some introductions were in order.

I opened the glass door to interrupt another intelligent conversation between Percy and Benjamin, who looked up and paused just as I opened the door. Anna stepped in beside me and it was then that I noticed that she was quite a bit taller than I was, even for our age I was not considered short by any means…average or even above average would have been a better wording for my height since I took after my father, but Anna was quite a bit taller and much more lanky.

Perhaps, it was just the robes.

Nevertheless, I introduced her to them both.

"Percy, Benjamin, this is Anna. Benjamin, she is our age and from London!" I said pleasantly as I walked over to where I had sat my trunk on the seat and popped open the neatly arranged bag as I saw her wave casually to the two boys.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Percy Weasley, a second year student at Hogwarts, Gryffindor," He said, with a very professional tone to his voice.

"And I'm, uh, Benjamin Flockton," He said rather casually, after clearing his throat.

Anna conversed nonchalantly with the both of them as I re-packed my clothing and closed up my trunk once again before climbing atop of the seat and sliding my trunk atop of the compartment. Several moments later, I was standing at the door alongside her, as we decided that the next destination would be her compartment.

"It was nice meeting the both of you!" Anna said cheerfully as she opened the door.

"You too," Percy and Benjamin said nearly at the exact same moment.

"Bye!" I called soon after.

* * *

><p>Anna and I made our way down the hallway to where she had kept all of her belongings. We chatted as if we had been friends for eternity and I still could not believe how much we enjoyed talking to each other even though we had plenty of opposite opinions and had very little similarities as far as our lifestyles went. She would tell me all about London, a place where I envied, while I would tell her about the country, where she had always envied.<p>

It was rather strange, in a sense, but it worked entirely for the best, or seemingly, rather.

"You and Benjamin have known each other for long?" Anna asked as we made our way down the close train corridors.

"Oh, yes, we have practically grown up together!" I answered, smiling as I remembered all the memories we shared as children.

"That's very neat!" She answered, smiling before asking another question. "You are close friends?"

I swallowed hard as I recollected over recent events before answering," Well, we've discovered our differences, but I hardly think that takes away from the special bond that he and I share. It's almost as though we are siblings or something because we have-"

At that moment, we turned the corner and I had turned without properly looking where I was going. What happened thereafter only served me right because I felt myself, once again, colliding with a person. Words could not express how entirely stupid I felt as the person's book was knocked straight out of their hand. Releasing a gasp and feeling an instant flood of guilt rush over me, I bent down to get the book from the train's ground.

I noticed that the books title was, "_Quidditch Through the Ages_."

That titles was familiar to me and as I lifted it from the ground, I pondered just who I had seen with this book before. It didn't take long for as I looked up, my eyes were met directly by a pair of warm, brown eyes.

"Thanks," The boy said, his Scottish accent ever prevalent. He walked away without another word or second glance.

**A/N: Thanks so much to all of the reviewers! I appreciate your support so much and I hope that you continue to review! It really does inspire me even further to write. Lately, I have been extremely busy beyond my beliefs due to school, but Christmas break is right around the corner (*squeal*) and I want to write and write and write over break so please bear with me! Lots of love ****:)**


	8. Hogwarts, At Last

Chapter Eight: Hogwarts, At Last

The rest of the train ride all seemed rather uneventful compared to the event that happened minutes later.

It was the moment that we were to cross the lake to Hogwarts.

Arriving at the Hogsmead train station was nearly unbearable and I could hardly stand the wait, standing next to my new found friend Anna and Benjamin close by, who seemed to be chatting with Anna. The three of us made our way through the station before moving onward to follow a giant man, unlike any I had seen before yelling:

"This way to th' boats!" He bellowed, but I could see through the thick beard and thick, thick layers of clothes that he couldn't be all that malicious, despite his size. He looked rather friendly. Had he been normal sized, I would have found nothing intimidating about him.

Standing at the docks, boarding onto a boat that I feared would tip over at any moment, and taking in the view that seemed to be more of a dream than anything else. Moments based before finally we were on our way, rowing across the lake to the castle that sat on the rocky bluff straight ahead.

Words were literally pointless to try to describe the towers, the bricks, the whole structure of Hogwarts. I knew that Benjamin and Anna were probably speaking to me, but once again I found myself oblivious to nearly anything around me. There was only one thing in my sight and it was the castle that had been the core subject of all of my dreams since nearly birth.

As cliché as it sounded, it was as if magic was surrounding the castle, sitting proudly upon the castle, as if announcing to the world that it was a place only for witches and wizards.

The boat ride couldn't have been any longer.

"Lana, what do you reckon we will do once we arrive?" I faintly heard Anna ask as I zoned in on the castle, still amazed.

"Lana?" She tried again. "Lana!"

Benjamin sighed before informing Anna," She does this sometimes, just wait a moment or two. I'm used to this by now."

Just as my friend predicted, the questions finally registered in my head as I turned to Anna, to finally answer her question.

"I reckon we will be on our way to the beginning of the term feast, along with the sorting of course," I answered with a smirk on my face, hardly able to contain the excitement.

Benjamin rolled his eyes, but all in good humor," We've only been waiting for this day for…our entire lives."

Anna chuckled at this before chipping in," Is that why Lana seems to be in a complete and total daze?"

"Partially," I answered, laughing softly before sneaking another glance over to the castle, which we had nearly reached.

"That's how she is most of the time," He teased, a smirk growing on his face as my mouth dropped open and I leaned over to hit him in the arm, resulting in a violent jerk of the boat.

At the same moment, all three of us paused as the boat tilted back and forth, nearly dumping us into the black waters below. Anna and I even let out a small shriek before realizing that the boat was not going to capsize. After releasing a collective sigh of relief, the only other option was to burst into laughter. Which was exactly what we did.

I'm sure that as they came to tie up our boat to the dock, they must have thought that they were dealing with a three complete and utter lunatics.

* * *

><p>The inside of the castle was just as marvelous as the outside had been. Entering in amongst the other first-years contained an excitement like none other I had experienced in my life. Or at least, in a very long while.<p>

The stone on the inside of the castle was covered with all sorts of portraits with characters moving in and out, but most of them seemed to be in a rather pleasant mood and waving at us with such enthusiasm. A soft chatter was traveling about the class of students as we migrated passed the moving staircases that my father had forewarned me of.

Just before entering what I presumed to be the Great Hall, the crowd stopped. A woman clad in dark green, velvet robes stood in front of us, wearing a hat signature to that of a witch. She appeared to be an older woman and very structured, but a smile was on her lips as we came to a halt in front of her.

A couple minutes later and I knew this to be Professor McGonagall. She gave us a set of instructions before we were to enter into the Hall. Typically, they were a list that most should have found to be self-evident, but the school must protect themselves from any dim-witted fool who chose to ruin the feast for everyone by putting the obvious into writing.

Finally, after her greeting was over. The doors to the hall were opened and the splendor of the hall revealed itself.

All of our eyes seemed to be hardly able to choose where to look, the tables, filled with older students who all seemed to be happily waiting our arrival, the ceiling which appeared to be no ceiling at all, or perhaps the teachers who were lined up at the front of the hall, at a long table, side-by-side.

I must have stopped walking at one point because I felt Benjamin grab my arm and pull me along beside him before we once again came to a halt at the front of the hall.

It appeared as though each table in the hall represented a house of the school. All of the green lined robes were sitting together, I presumed this to be Slytherin. The yellow lined robes and red lined robes were Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, respectively. While, the blue lined were Ravenclaw.

The sorting hat sat upon a lone stool at the front of the room and I couldn't help but feel an instant lump in my throat at the sight.

I hadn't been particularly nervous at all about being sorted. In fact, prior to that moment, I had been excited. Any of the houses would have been fine, Slytherin would have been the least preferred, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel a tinge of anxiety.

It was also at this moment; however, that I saw whom I presumed to be Albus Dumbledore. A man that my father had always spoke very highly of. Fittingly, he was sitting in the middle of the staff with the largest, most bold chair of them all. He was Headmaster after all.

Professor McGonagall informed us once more of what was to happen before finally pulling out the list of incoming students and beginning the sorting ceremony.

It was a little humorous to watch the hat sing its song before choosing a house, or sometimes simply calling out a house before even sitting on the students head. I found the hat to be rather spunky, or at least, as spunky as hats could be, I guess, but he had quite the attitude.

Names and names passed, unfamiliar names for the most part, until…

"Benjamin Flockton!" She cried and I looked over to my dark haired friend, gave him a small reassuring smile as he traveled up to the front of the hall. I knew that he never particularly liked large groups of people.

Thankfully, all he had to do was walk up and sit on the stool as the hat deliberated.

"Ah, what is it we have here? A Flockton, eh?" The brown hat stated in deliberation. "Well, you've quite the brain to be in Ravenclaw. But, if I remember correctly, both mum and dad were in Gryfindor…hmmm. Where to put you…where to put you…." The hat continued on going back and forth for several minutes, taking far longer than it had with any other student.

By the minute, I noticed that Benjamin's face was losing its color. He couldn't stand large crowds. It appeared as though the public display was getting to him. After several more minutes, Professor McGonagall finally had to step in.

"Won't you make a decision?" She cried irritably. "The poor boy looks as though he's going to be sick up there!"

"Oh, calm down. I' m only being thorough, Minerva," The hat spat back at her before chuckling to himself, as if taking pleasure from Benjamin's humiliation. "I'm only having fun old boy, it's GRYFFINDOR!"

A look of complete relief filled Benjamin's face as the professor lifted the hat from his head and he was able to scurry over the table filled with clapping students, happy to embrace him into the house.

Many more names passed, a Hufflepuff here, a Ravenclaw here, even a Slytherin or two, but I noticed that as my name came closer not many Gryffindors had been picked. I found this strange, but I hardly had time to ponder it for the professor had called my name.

"Lana Stockholm!"

Her voice seemed to echo through the entire hall as not a soul spoke. All eyes seemed to set on me as I climbed to the steps to the stool before having the hat placed atop of my head. Instantly, the hat let out a groan as my heart seemingly skipped a beat.

"Hmm, you don't make this easy for me do you?" He grumbled before spitting out a few other meaningless observations. "You've traits from all of the houses, but I will have to stick with lineage. GRYFFINDOR!"

I couldn't help but feel relief flood through me as the hat was lifted from my head and I was able to go greet my new house members once and for all. At least, I knew Benjamin. At least, we were in the same house and could go through this whole process together. It was nice to join a table so friendly and welcoming.

Looking through the crowd, I spotted a familiar girl from the crowd, Nymphadora Tonks, who smiled before winking at me from the Hufflepuff table.

I smiled at this, but my attention was drawn away at the sound of the next name.

"Anna Uftring!" The professor cried out over the crowd.

Our new friend strolled casually up to the stool. If only she would get sorted into Gryffindor, then it would be complete. We could have a trio and another friend for this new experience.

However, nearly as soon as the hat was placed on her head, the hat declared, " RAVENCLAW!"

**Author's Note: It's Christmas Break! Finally! I actually have time to write now. This is so exciting that I hardly know what to do with myself, but on a different note, reviews would be greatly appreciated. **

**I should be updating much more frequently now and I have also published another story, so check it out. It's a Sherlock Holmes story that I'm excited about ****J**

**Thanks guys!**


	9. And So the Dream Began

Chapter Nine: And So the Dream Began

The feast was nearly one of the single best meals of my life. Prior to the feast, I had a feeling that listening to Professor Dumbledore would provide us with an extremely painful wait, but I was wrong. There was something about that man's voice that seemed to grab the talkative students immediately. It was as if no one dared speak while the older wizard was speaking.

In fact, it wasn't as though there was much of a speech to even sit through for all he did was stand up. His twinkling eyes were shining brightly as he lifted his goblet of water, tapped it gently on the side, the sound resonating before saying," Let the feast begin."

Immediately, food of all sorts appeared on the shining platters scattered all about the table. Hams, chicken, potatoes, not to mention all of the other sweets and meats. My eyes were nearly bulging from my head as I sat there for several minutes.

"Hey, someone might want to hit her," I heard a voice say. "It looks like she's gone into shock."

Before Benjamin could lay a finger on me, I turned and looked at him first. Then, my eyes shifted to the voice who said this. I noticed the boy's bright red hair and his resemblance to the other boy I had met: Percy. He simply had to be a relative. A smile came to his lips as he shot his hand across the table," Hello there, I'm Charlie Weasley."

I returned the smile before shaking his hand and saying," Pleasure. I'm Lana Stockholm."

"Nice to meet you, Lana," He returned whilst grabbing his napkin and putting it over his lap.

"Do you have a sibling-" I started to ask, but he instantly smirked and chuckled.

"Which one do you want to know about? I've six of them," The red-haired boy told me as he took a sip of his water. He sat it down before motioning over to Percy. "That's my younger brother, Percy."

A smile came to my lips before saying," That answers my question."

"But, if you've got time I can surely tell you about Bill, Fred and George, Ron-" Charlie started before another girl hit him lightly on the shoulder. Telling him that I had no interest in his family heritage. One of the reasons being that it would take him until next week. In response, he rolled his eyes and returned to his food.

This girl was tan skinned with brown hair, but strangely enough her eyes were bright green. She smiled wide at me before formally introducing herself as Erica Norton. I liked Erica greatly and found her to be rather compelling. She was a year younger than Charlie and claimed to be on the Quidditch team like him. The mention of "Quidditch" instigated a long conversation, which I didn't necessarily know I was prepared for. Charlie even re-entered the conversation at the mention of it, telling me all about how this was the year that Gryffindor was going to win it all. Erica explained to me what "winning it all" meant at this stage.

I found the two of them to be very interesting characters and all too soon the feast was coming to a close. The head boy and girl were introduced and Dumbledore requested that the prefects come forward. Some of the terminology was foreign to me, but when this was announced, Charlie sighed before smoothing out his cloaks. Erica mimicked his actions and stood up.

"Looks like that's me," He said, standing up. "It really was nice to talk with you, Lana. I wish you the best this year."

"Yes, Lana. Anytime you need anything, just ask one of us," She said kindly.

"Well, ask her," Charlie added. "Don't ask me."

With a roll of her eyes, Erica strolled away from him as he chuckled softly, following her coattails.

Already, I had a feeling that it was going to be a good year.

* * *

><p>Arriving in the Gryfindor common room was just as exciting as entering the castle had been. There was a nice fire in the fireplace and many plush seats around it. All about the room there were desks and bookshelves with the ever prominent colors of maroon and gold, strategically weaved in the décor.<p>

Charlie and Erica led the group of first years to the middle of the room before explaining the whereabouts of the dormitories.

"The girls dormitories are up these stairs, if you will follow me," Erica said, projecting her voice over the talkative bunch.

"And the boys are up here, please follow," Charlie said and it was at that moments that the group split by gender and followed their leader.

We couldn't seem to rush up the stairs any quicker and low and behold, the top of the stairs was all of our four poster beds and belongings, aligned in a circle. Many shrieks and squeals were emitted as we rushed to find our bed. I found mine on the opposite side of the circle with my trunk already at the end of the bed. Immediately, I plopped down onto the bed, which seemed to absorb my body. It was much nicer than my bed at home and at that moment, I could have fallen asleep, but there was much socializing to be done.

* * *

><p>Sitting in front of the fire was a rather peaceful way to end the day. I sat on one of the loveseats while Benjamin, Percy, and an older girl (whose name I think to be Alice). We spoke of many different topics, but the main thing that we spoke of was Potions. It seemed to be the fear of most of the other first years I had spoken with.<p>

"Potions isn't all that bad," Percy said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Don't lie to them!" Alice rebutted, shooting a glare at Percy, who was still looking rather innocent.

Benjamin and I shot each other a nervous look, we shared nearly all of our classes together with the exception of Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. We had them at separate hours, but Potions, we shared.

"Professor Snape is all talk and nothing more. Sure, he's slightly frightening, but-"

"Slightly?" Alice exclaimed. "I find him bloody terrifying!"

Percy released a sigh before groaning and saying," Well, that's exactly what we want to tell our uneasy companions."

"I'm only being honest," She said, defending herself as she crossed her arms. "Better you find out now rather than later."

It seemed that nearly all of the other students agreed with Alice's interpretation of the black-eyed, greasy haired man who appeared to be rather secretive. I didn't like to make an early assumption of him, since I had never even sat in his class before, but I couldn't help but gulp whenever he was mentioned.

"What of the other subjects?" Benjamin finally asked, interrupting Percy and Alice's argument over the eeriness of Snape.

"The other subjects are mostly a breeze," Percy told us and it took very little time for Alice to rebut this.

"Except for Flying. I think even you can agree with that, Perce," She said before shooting me a warning look.

"It all depends on whether or not you were born with the trait," Percy said matter-of-factly, acting as if it were no big deal at all.

Just about that time, Charlie came about from the stairs to the dormitories and happened to overhear our conversation," Trait you're born with, eh? Why don't you tell them about your ability to fly, Percy. I'm sure they'd love to hear about your 'trait of flying'."

Alice released a snort that grew into laughter," Well-"

Benjamin and I smirked as we noticed Percy's face changing beet-red.

**Author's Note: Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season! Thank you to those who have reviewed so far and please let me know what you think of this chapter! I would love to know ****:D**


	10. The First Day

Chapter Ten: The First Day

I had determined many days in advance that if there was one class I was not to be late to, then it was Potions. I remember my first day of classes more clearly than any of the others thanks to the episode that occurred whilst in the dungeons. It would not necessarily be fair to the story itself should I not explain all of what happened that day. Therefore, allow me to begin from the start of the day.

My first class of the day was Charms, a class that I had heard not to be too entirely difficult. After waking up early, trying to repress all of the first-day-of-school nerves through putting on my new Gryffindor robes and brushing out my hair, I strolled down the staircase alongside two of the other girls that were my age.

Casual conversation was another nice solution to the anxiety rolling about in my stomach. We spoke nearly for the entire length of the stairs, all carrying our Charms and Potions books with us (for those were the first two classes). One of the girls who I spoke with; however, did not have Charms first hour; therefore, after breakfast she took a different route entirely from my new companion, Holly Peddleton and myself.

Holly was a rather soft-spoken girl and appeared to be rather studious from the exterior. I enjoyed her company for she was not overpowering in any way. Conversation was very natural with her and even though she may have tended to be shy around most, she knew how to answer questions and in return carry on a conversation.

We confided in one another over what we supposed Potions would be like. It made me laugh slightly at how stuck we were on Potions when we hadn't even gotten through Charms yet! It was not surprising though, for all of the rumors that we had been told were true of Charms; it was quite dull.

Professor Flitwick was nice enough, but the first day of school obviously meant that it was time to lecture. Many times, I found myself dosing into slumber only to be hit rather hard by Benjamin, who had arrived just behind Holly and myself.

"It's not that bad," Benjamin mumbled to me, as he leaned forward, enthralled in the droning of the short, white haired little man.

Not paying much attention to my friend's nagging, I turned my head to try and listen to at least the last few minutes of his speech.

"And tomorrow, we will be learning our first spell! Be sure to bring along your wands, as I'm sure you all will. Just a little preview for tomorrow's lesson…" The short professor placed a single white feather at the edge of his desk and with a flick of his wand, said with crisp, clean tone," _Windgardium Leviosa"_

A simple spell, yes, but to a batch of first year students who, until currently, could not do any sort of magic…this was slightly impressive. In my head, I was excited for the first Charms lesson simply to get it over and move to the next Charms lesson.

* * *

><p>Poor Holly realized half-way to the dungeon that she had, in fact, grabbed the wrong textbook instead of her Potions book. There was not much time between morning classes and she insisted that I go on while she scurried back to the common room as quickly as she could. I started to argue, but selfishly knew that I could not afford to be late to Professor Snape's class.<p>

Little did I know, that it hardly mattered what I did in order to be on time to the dungeons. Something, or someone rather, was going to prevent me from being on time.

It was just as I was turning the corner to cross the courtyard, carefully trying to remember the path that I had done in my head the night before in order to keep me on track. Suddenly, it seemed as though the books in my hands flew instantly out of them and straight into the sky above.

My jaw nearly fell to the ground in complete shock before I shot my eyes around to see just who the culprit could be. I cleared my throat, trying to sound as intimidating as a first year, scrawny, auburn-haired girl could be," Whoever's doing this, it's not funny."

I crossed my arms over my chest as I continued to scour my surroundings. Despite the stoic appearance that I desired, my heart was beating nearly out of my chest as the other students in the distance were disappearing to their classes.

There was literally nothing that I could do to get my books down from their levitating position above my head. I simply stared at them, pretending that maybe they would miraculously fall.

"I have to get to my next class and this _isn't_ funny," I said, anger growing inside of me as I heard snickers from behind the corner.

Immediately, I trotted over to the corner to find three boys, one keeping careful eye contact with my books as he directed his wand at them. I stomped over to the lot of them, looking the one boy, tall and slender, straight in the eye," Stop it."

He laughed heartily to his buddies before turning back to me," Or else what?"

"Or else I'll be sure that Professor McGonagall knows that you're up to no good again this year. You all know what she threatened last year boys and I would truly hate to see some of my best players kicked off the team for something petty as this," A deeper voice said from behind, his arms crossed over his chest with a look of stone on his face. I may not have known many upperclassmen at Hogwarts, but this was undoubtedly Charlie.

Seemingly instantly, the three boys scampered away as Charlie yelled after them," Unless you want longer practices, don't let me catch you doing this again!"

It was at this moment, that I noticed the third boy amongst them was rather shorter than them. A younger boy, who looked familiar. A boy who had been popping up in my life rather frequently, as of late. It was the Scottish boy, set on becoming a Quidditch player. He looked back directly at me before turning his head and running to his next class. I couldn't help but feel pity that he was so desperate to become one of the team members.

With a loud thud, my books dropped to the ground and Charlie, acting as an older brother, went and picked them up before placing them back into my hands. He smiled at me, reassuringly before saying," Oi, don't let them get you bothered, Lana. They're just some of the Quidditch team. They don't mean you any harm. Now, if it were Slytherin, then that would be different, but considering they're from our own house; I know they're harmless."

I smiled at him, appreciatively," Thank you, Charlie. I really ought to be getting to Potions now."

Charlie made a strange face before saying," Potions, eh? I'm sorry this happened at the most inopportune class. You can try explaining the situation to Snape, but I can always stop by later-"

"Don't worry about it," I answered, cutting him off. Finding the last thing I needed was the situation to be any bigger than it already was.

"Alright, well if you're sure, then-"

"I am," I said to him before nodding to him and turning on my heels. There was; however, one last question that I wished to ask," Charlie? The youngest boy with the other two-who was he?"

Charlie scrutinized my face for a long moment before replying," That's Oliver Wood, I reckon. Why do you-"

But it was far too late, I had received the information needed and upon hearing this I called to him," Goodbye!" before running to the dungeons, where I knew I would, more than likely, not be welcomed.

* * *

><p>Opening the door to the Potions classroom was quite possibly one of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life. And the worst part of it, was that no one had even spoken a word to me yet. All I had to do was push the door open, hear the thick silence, to feel the tension sitting in the air. Slowly, and as non-conspicuously as I could, I slid into the classroom. To my horror, the only open chair was at the front of the classroom. Trying to avoid all eye contact, I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked down the center aisle to the only vacant spot.<p>

Unfortunately, it would not be that easy, for standing directly in my path was no other than Professor Snape himself.

"Well. Well. Well," He said, very slowly, careful to put emphasis on just at the end of each word. "It appears as though Miss Stockholm has finally decided to join us."

"A group of boys prevented me from being here on time professor-" I tried to quickly explain, but he obviously had no interest in my story.

"Miss Stockholm, the other teachers at this school have informed me that it would be unfair to give any punishment for violations in class today, especially for first-year students, but you may just be the exception to that," Right then, she looked up and met his black eyes. "Walking in ten minutes late is not tolerable. Do you understand?"

Silently, I nodded my head and before I knew it, he stepped out of my path, allowing me to finally take a seat. While piling my books under my desk, I very well knew that any arguments that were coming to my head would only further fuel his flame to wanting to punish me. I also noticed that there were cauldrons set out in front of us as well as a list of supplies and what appeared to be a recipe.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began, moving right along with his beginning of the year speech." I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Another theory that many of the other professors believe is that the first day is simply for the lot of you to get yourself acquainted with your classrooms," Just after saying this, he smirked. "I happen to disagree with this, as well."

He paused, looking over the lot of us, allowing the fear and silence to settle in the air before continuing to explain his logic," School is a place of learning. From the first day, that is what you shall do…at least…in this class."

Pacing about the front of the room, very slowly with his hands together behind his back," You see a recipe in front of you. I expect you to follow the directions as stated and make a burn-healing paste. Be comforted in the fact that no one has ever made a satisfactory paste and that all of the ingredients are anodyne, or harmless."

If the sound of jaws hitting the floor could be audible, then our class would have broken through the sound barrier. We all looked around to each other, confused as to just what we were exactly suppose to do as Professor Snape moved to his desk before perching himself there soundly. Moments after hearing no commotion, he looked up, surprised we were all still perched just as we were before," Did I not make myself clear?"

Instantly, the class moved their chairs closer to their partner, whom it appeared the directions said to work with. I looked to see that my partner was none other than Holly, who was smiling at me," Tisk, tisk being late to class," She muttered to me before examining a label on a clear bottle in front of us.

I felt a ping of guilt for not even recognizing her," What-I've been sitting next to you this whole time and you've said nothing?"

She smirked at me before saying under her breath," Do you honestly believe that I, or anyone rather, would dare even whisper while Snape was talking?"

I shrugged my shoulders, understanding her point of view, but also feeling the heat of Snape's gaze settling, unsatisfied on Holly and I. Everyone else had already added at least one ingredient while Holly and I were simply socializing. I took this as an invitation to begin.

After nearly twenty minutes of mixing, deciphering instructions and blurry labels on ingredients, Holly and I put in the last ingredient before I handed the mixture to her, allowing her to crush and mix all of the ingredients together, rather than risking ruining the entire operation. I never realized that mixing something could have specific directions, but low and behold, they do. At least, for a burn-healing paste there is.

"You've five minutes remaining," Professor Snape said in a rather droning voice (that I noticed he nearly always spoke in) without even looking up from his book on his desk.

From the table behind us, I heard a string of swear words. In the side of my eye, I watched as a boy from Slytherin simply dumped all of the remaining ingredients into the bowl before beating them profusely while his lab partner laid with his head down, nearly falling asleep, or rather, he was asleep.

I shifted my gaze back to Holly, who was carefully finishing the paste. While she finished, I noticed a description of the final product at the bottom of the page:

When finished the burn-healing paste should be of thick consistency and a bright, rather obnoxious shade of orange.

I shot my eyes over to the finished product to find that it was indeed a bright, "obnoxious" shade of orange. The thickness of the paste was also up to par. Could it be possible that we actually accomplished this recipe as intended?

I turned my head to observe the other pastes around the room. Ours did happen to look quite a deal better than the boy behind us, who's paste was, strangely, smoking and a dark green color. I found him to not necessarily be reliable; therefore, I turned my eyes over to Anna, who was sitting next to a fellow Ravenclaw student. Their potion was more of a burnt orange than a bright orange and seemed to be a liquid. Anna's face appeared to be rather frustrated as they feverously began adding more and more ingredients to, presumably thicken up the paste.

It was at this moment, that I heard Holly say," We are finished."

Professor Snape happened to overhear this and slowly put his gaze on our table. Swiftly, he rose from his seat and moved over to our table, where he immediately picked up the substance in our cauldron. He furrowed his brow before taking a stirring rod on our table and taking a dollop of the paste from the cache. He sat there for nearly a minute, scrutinizing the substance before looking directly at the both of us.

"You are to stay after class," He chipped at us before dropping the cauldron back onto our desk.

We'd no idea on how we were to interpret this.

* * *

><p>"Do you mind explaining to me how you managed to concoct a perfect burn-healing paste?" Snape shot at us, just after the last of the students exited the classroom, nearly five minutes later.<p>

Holly and I simply looked at one another, flabbergasted at the words that just came out of his mouth. We looked to each other, then back to him, then back to each other before Holly finally tried to stutter an answer," Sir, all we did was-"

I saw that she was struggling greatly with her answer; therefore, I finished her thought," Sir, we simply followed the instructions. It must have been pure luck that-"

"Pure luck, you say?" Professor Snape raised an eyebrow, interested in my choice of words." Or rather, did you have some assistance?"

We looked at each other once again, insulted greatly at what he was insinuating.

"If you are accusing us of cheating, t-then you're wrong. We received no help on this," Holly shot back at him, I was rather surprised at her boldness, but then again her schoolwork was something she took seriously. She wanted to take credit for her work.

"Ah, that is the answer I suspected from you," He said, hardly believing us at all before he turned away from us and began heading toward the exit. "Come with me."

**Author's Note: Alright, so there you have it! Charms class and Potions class! Please let me know what you all think, as you have been doing, and I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year ****J Thank you to those who have reviewed/favored/alerted this story thus far; I appreciate it.**


	11. A New Assignment

**Disclaimer: I own nothing by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and its characters belong to her.**

Chapter Eleven: A New Assignment

"Professor, why don't you believe us?" Holly asked, surprising me with her boldness as we followed the mysterious professor up the stairs. This whole scenario was nearly too good to be true; I knew that the first day in class was not going to go smoothly, but this was nearly too much.

Naturally, he did not respond, but simply kept on walking swiftly down the corridor, passing by many classrooms, filled with students. This made me wonder just how we were to explain the situation to our next teacher, but I'm sure that Snape had little concern for that.

"I have only had one student ever to come close to making a perfect potion. Unless, you have had the aid of an upperclassman," Snape spat back at us, not even looking as we turned another corner.

"Has it occurred to you that, perhaps, we actually did manage a perfect potion? On our own?" I added several moments later as we stood in front of what appeared to be a strange statue.

Instantly, the professor shot his gaze directly to me. Staring at me for a long hard moment before saying one phrase," _Ranae flavus_."

I furrowed my brow in confusion before my eyes were averted to see the statue of a bird-like figure moving up, transforming into a spiral staircase. Though the sight was impressive, I was still confused as to why the grimy professor had not said anything back to me. Was it that terribly difficult for him to set aside his pride for a moment to even consider the thought?

"We shall have a discussion with the headmaster over this," He replied coolly before motioning for us to travel up the stairs.

Holly and I simply looked at one another before moving forward, obviously fearful of what was to happen. It was only the first day and already, here we were being marched up to the headmaster's office. With a sigh, we took the first step and ascended up the stone staircase.

We moved slowly up the stairs, listening as it continued to grow until there was finally a clunk, signaling that the stairs had finally reached the top, wherever it was. Eventually, we were able to see the top and an open doorframe that led to a wooden door. Upon reaching the top, Snape stepped ahead of us swiftly before rapping on the door.

"Who might that be?" A voice called from inside the room.

"Severus, headmaster along with two first years," The professor said, very dryly, before the door swung open.

"Welcome, Severus and two first year students," The same voice answered, before Snape ushered us into the exquisite office lay ahead. It appeared to be circular with many books and shelves all around the office, beautiful tiles were on the floor and the room was truly only fit for a headmaster. A lovely bird was perched on a stand in the room, a phoenix from what I could tell.

Nearly shaking, both Holly and I looked to the elderly man sitting at the wide, wooden desk in the middle of the office.

"Why do you come to me, Severus? And these two students, should they not be en route to their next class?" The gentleman with a long beard, blue eyes with spectacles perched on his nose.

"These two students, Stockholm and Peddleton, were caught cheating in my classroom, professor," Snape spoke very smoothly and accusingly. "I am requesting a rather hefty punishment for cheating is not tolerated at Hogwarts, as we all very well know."

I opened my mouth to speak, but found that it was pointless. It was our first day and we were already facing our first punishment. Professor Dumbledore looked at both of us with furrowed brows before folding his hands on his desk. He moved one of his hands to adjust his spectacles before stating," Lana, I believe that is your name, do you have an argument for yourself and Miss Peddleton?"

Instantly, I regretted ever making such a notion. Snape then started to speak, but Professor Dumbledore merely held up a finger to him before saying," Lana, please, elaborate."

I scratched my head and looked at Holly before saying to Professor Dumbledore," I honestly haven't much of a case, I suppose, other than we genuinely have no knowledge of anything regarding to Potions. Professor Snape gave us instructions and all we simply did was follow them. There was no cheating involved. Honestly, I know that I would probably manage to mess up someone else's advice. We simply followed our instinct."

"Headmaster, as you can-" Snape fought, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"Have you any evidence to prove otherwise?" He questioned Snape, his voice very tender gentle.

Snape adjusted his posture, shifting as if nervous before saying," They conjured a perfect potion, something that has only been done once before and this mixture is one that not a simple-minded student would be able to conjure up without assistance."

Dumbledore nodded, pondering the situation carefully before speaking again and saying," If I remember correctly, you also asked me to punish said students, but further investigation showed that they were innocent. They too were-"

Snape narrowed his eyes before saying, with almost a growl to his voice," Two Gryffindor students."

"Yes, two Gryffindor students," Dumbledore said with a smirk, affirming the statement." Now, on a different note, I remember the days when Lana's mother was at Hogwarts. She was not necessarily the best student we had, but her skills shone in none other than potions. Perhaps, Lana has simply gained a genetic trait. Perhaps, it truly is out of her control."

The potions professor crossed his arms while my heart nearly skipped a beat, was he really going to take our side?

"Madame Pomfrey has just exited my study, just before you entered, actually. She has, strangely enough, requested me to pass information along to you that is in need of two assistants to help her brew simple potions for medical use. Now, she requires to see the work of the students beforehand, but I am sure that if you deem the paste these two crafted as 'perfect', then she will two. Should the two students fail to meet her basic requirements, then their punishment will be as you or I see fit, but should they succeed then the charges shall be dropped altogether," He explained to the lot of us as my heart was nearly beating out of my chest.

"Professor, I see this to be highly unnecessary. Suppose these two are simply getting lucky again and again. Shouldn't a student with a true interest in the position be considered? This, if we are taking their argument, was merely a fluke," Snape argued, obviously not wanting the satisfaction of giving us freedom.

"Perhaps, but incredible talent is to be recognized here at Hogwarts. This will give us an idea as to their true ability. One could argue that if someone is lucky again and again, that this trait is perhaps a talent then. Theoretically, Severus, when one professes in something, isn't all they do simply a matter of luck repeating itself?" Dumbledore replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Food for thought."

Again, I looked to Snape to see his lips pursed and arms crossed tightly over his chest. Holly looked at me, a small smirk growing on her lips before we both turned our attention back to the headmaster.

"Miss Peddleton and Miss Stockholm, you will be allowed to go unpunished this time, but every evening from here on out, you are to report to the medical wing of the school, where Madame Pomfrey will give you further instructions," Professor Dumbledore told the both of us with a smile on his face. "Professor Snape will be happy to show you where this is and I will inform your next teachers where you have been. I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you."

And so it was that we were allowed to go, seemingly untouched. However, I was not for certain if this verdict was a good one or rather a new problem to simply suffer through. Either way, Holly and I would have quite a bit to discuss in our next class.

**A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think of this chapter and the characters. I am trying to keep them in character as much as possible, but please let me know if something seems wrong.**

**I feel as though this chapter was a little short, but rest assured, I will post a longer one soon.  
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	12. Madame Pomfrey

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's characters.**

**Thanks is in order for SweetSunnyRose's correction of my error in the last chapter. I carelessly wrote 15 years ago for Lana's mother being a pupil of Snape's, but if you think of it, it really can't be logical. I have changed it and want to thank you for telling me! (I have a whole Word document dedicated to times/dates…you'd think I would have thought that out better…oh well! No one's perfect :D)**

Chapter Twelve: Madame Pomfrey

"You're to do two things: mix what I tell you to mix and dump what I tell you to dump. There will be no touching, meddling, prodding, pulling, or even thinking about doing much else," Madame Pomfrey preached to Holly and I that evening, after classes for the day were completed.

I was still debating whether or not this was going to be worse punishment than what Snape would have preferred we been given.

"Do you understand?" The slightly plump, middle-aged witch barked at us after another minute or so of rambling.

I was obviously spacing out when I took a second more to respond," Um, sure-right, of course."

"Good Lord, help me with this child," She muttered under her breath, as if I couldn't hear her. I started to argue, but Holly hit me before I could manage a single word. "When I sent this opening to the Headmaster, I expected him to send me the top of the seventh year Potions class-_not _two first years fresh out of their first class in the course."

The nurse spoke whilst walking into the infirmary, where many beds lined the stone walls. We sat in her office as she continued speaking and after her last little comment, I nearly needed to pick my jaw up from the ground.

"Does she realize she's been offensive?" I hissed to Holly, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Would you rather this or what Professor Snape had in store for us?" She spat right back at me under her breath.

Moments later, the woman reappeared in the doorway," There'll be no speaking to one another either, not while you're in my sight, at least."

"But-" I opened my mouth to argue and yet again Holly smacked me.

Madame Pomfrey noticed then and smirked before nodding to my companion," I like this girl, you could learn quite the lesson from this young lady. She's got manners, she doesn't look at me as though I've grown a third eye-"

And then, she began listing off many qualities that my companion had that I clearly needed to acquire. The irony of the situation was that I am typically not one to be rude or even seem that way. Adults typically boast to my parents on how well-behaved I was and it is quite a shock to me to hear her demolish my personality so quickly. She did not even know me. How could one be so quick to judge another?

"Now, it's the beginning of the semester meaning that there won't be many patients for the time being, but by the end of the year this hospital wing will be busier than Hogsmeade during the holidays. That'll be that time that I make sure the both of ye are locked away in here under strict directions," She rambled on and on before grabbing a bottle here, a capsule there, and plenty of other items that appeared to be ingredients to something before placing them on the desk that lay in front of us, presumably her desk.

"However, you may be able to work your way up to more responsibilities. If you can prove yourself worthy," She told us simply, before taking a seat at the desk.

Holly swallowed," Have you instructions similar to Professor Snape's?"

She chuckled," My directions will be much more straightforward than the Potion Master's. Most of the time I cannot understand a word of that jargon. Well, to me at least…they're all written by me so I suppose if you've any questions then you should just ask."

Holly nodded and swallowed again, allowing for a nice silence to hang in the air before the nurse pulled out a pad of paper and began scribbling away. We looked to one another, thinking the same thought of when this incredibly awkward moment was going to end.

"I saw your burn-healing paste. In fact, I used it just after Professor Snape brought it up to me," Madame Pomfrey said to the both of us, not even looking up from her writing.

"Then it was…satisfactory?" Holly asked, her voice shaky.

Another moment of silence passed before the woman looked up and gave us a small smirk," It will do."

And with that, she stood up and exited the office, not even looking back.

It was at that moment I decided that this must have been a worse punishment than anything Professor Snape would have made us do.

* * *

><p>"It will do?" I exclaimed to Holly nearly half an hour later when she released us from her presence. We were strolling along a brisk pace down the dark corridors from the hospital wing. "What is that supposed to mean? She's barmy! I swear it."<p>

Holly couldn't suppress the smile growing on her lips," Lana, she's not _that _bad."

"Well, of course not to _you_," I drawled back, irritated by my friend's lack of agreement. " She had nothing but marvelous things to say of you. She seemed as though it was only a fluke that I had even been selected."

"She didn't say _fluke_," Holly defended, still failing to suppress her smile.

My eyes widened as I paused in the middle of the corridor to look directly at her," She may as well have."

Finally, my friend let loose and let out a fit of chuckles. I shook my head, hardly believing how ridiculous she was sounding as we continued down the hallway.

Already, it appeared to be getting late and Madame Pomfrey told us to hurry back to our common room to prevent any of the prefects or teachers finding us out even close to lights out. Luckily enough, we had been able to sneak by with no one in view. With the Gryfindor portrait in view, we felt as though we were nearly home free.

That was before a prefect stepped around the corner just in time to catch us out. Our eyes widened and our voices were silenced as we noticed this was not only a prefect, but one from Slytherin by looks of his robes.

"Well, well, well," The boy with dark brown, long, greasy hair said with a snarl, as if he were finding pleasure in finally finding a victim out at dark. "Looks like we've got a couple first-years out past dark."

Both of us were silent for a moment before Holly asked," What's the time?"

Before he could answer, a voice said from behind," They'll be perfectly fine, Terry. My clock still says that they've a minute to get inside the common room."

We looked up to see, presumably a Ravenclaw prefect. At her side was none other than Anna. Anna gave me a small smirk as soon as we turned. Holly and I stuttered for several seconds, hardly able to think of the right words of thanks before the prefect said to us," Well, what are you waiting for? Go on!"

Not hesitating, Holly and I ran down the corridor and as soon as we were out of their earshot, I whispered the password," _Caverna Obscura!_"

Holly scurried on inside, but before I went in, I turned back to call to the prefect and Anna," Thank-"

Before I could utter the rest of the phrase, the frame closed tight.

* * *

><p>"A little birdie told me that you conjured up a perfect paste yesterday," Charlie Weasley said to me as he came up, taking a seat just across from me the next day at the Gryffindor table.<p>

"Oi! So did I," Another fifth year chiped in. "Snape was in a foul mood all during Advanced Potions. He gave us double homework!"

"Double homework would be a walk in the park compared to the two papers he assigned us. Four parchments long!" The red-haired boy exclaimed, clearly irked by the professor." All I did was simply walk in the room, pull my chair back more loudly than he would have liked before he began bellowing at the whole class how 'we know we're suppose to enter the room _silently_'. "

A roaring roll of laughter erupted from the table at the sound of Charlie's impersonation of the Potion's Professor. I allowed for the table to calm down before commenting further.

"How did you find out it was me? Surely, he didn't say that it was," I asked before rolling the orange on my plate to loosen the skin.

"Oh no, but he may as well have. He accused all of us of cheating and asked which one of us was giving the answers. I suppose he had it set in his head that you couldn't have possibly-"

"Done it own our own," I finished his phrase with a nod of my head before letting out a soft, sarcastic chuckle.

"Exactly," Charlie answered, looking at me. "So, how did you do it?"

I looked at him for a long, hard moment," What do you mean? Holly and I simply followed the instructions."

"You don't have to cover it up, you know," Erica chiped in, coming to the table, obviously able to realize what we were speaking of from the tone of conversation. "He was in a terrible-"

"Yes, a terrible mood. We've established this already," Charlie said, speeding her up.

Erica rolled her eyes," I was only trying to make conversation."

"Well, try to be on time next time you 'make conversation'," Charlie argued back, knowing just what he needed to say in order to irritate her. "Now, I want details, Stockholm. Tell me how you pulled it off."

I held my hands up in defense," Holly and I only followed the directions, nothing more, nothing less."

The chorus of Gryffindors listening burst into laughter once again before Percy decided to chip in," Perhaps, you all should learn to respect intelligence when you see it. I think that this is an astronomical event that may show the professor that not all of us are complete gits."

The students continued socializing as if the younger Gryffindor student hadn't spoken at all. I shrugged my shoulders, realizing that there may not have been any way to convince them that we honestly were just…well, flukes. I continued to explain how we had been able to worm my way out of a bad punishment with a seemingly worse punishment.

Professor Dumbledore had made the comment that my mother had been skilled at potions, but she never told me that before. Surely, she would have at least mentioned it if it were true. Perhaps, he was simply becoming…batty.

As breakfast came to a close, Charlie looked over to me one last time before I turned to find Holly as we went off to classes," You know, Lana, there are Quidditch tryouts tonight after classes."

"Charlie, you know she's too young," Erica scolded as they spoke to me across the breakfast table.

"I know, I'm simply telling her to get ready in the hospital wing," He said with a smile on his face. "There's going to be a lot more patients after next week."

**A/N: So, what's going to happen next? Give me your opinions!**


	13. Opening Day

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Twelve: Opening Day

Working with Madame Pomfrey was almost more difficult than the classes I was enrolled in. Perhaps, being a medical wing assistant in itself was not so tedious, but working with Madame Pomfrey was quite the challenge. She was not necessarily a malicious individual, but she was most definitely a perfectionist, much like myself.

That last statement may not make much sense. Logically, one would think that two people with similar traits would get along well together, but life itself shows that those who are too similar should stay away from one another. I would rather that the nurse be a complete mess whom I could try to organize, but she is so very nit-picky in a very different way than myself. When I thought that I was doing something the correct way, the way that I would do something, then her idea of perfection was much different.

Even though this was true, somehow we survived each other's presence for nearly four weeks into the semester. I juggled my class work and hospital work as smoothly as I imagined I could essentially. One positive trait that Madame Pomfrey possessed was the simply fact that she was aware that both Holly and myself were students that needed some time at night to finish up our work. Therefore, she would allow us to leave some night, earlier than when we were expected to stay.

Surprisingly enough, the nurse was giving us more and more freedoms. We were even allowed to show our face outside of her crammed little office every now and again. I can honestly say that working in the hospital wing was starting to grow on me, especially since I was allowed to speak to the patients.

The statement that Charlie Weasley told me was growing more and more true the closer we came to the opening day of Quidditch. Excitement seemed to be growing amongst the student body and the hospital wing seemed to be filling up with more injured players. The houses had all picked their teams a week before and ever since then team captains seemed to be rushing their players into the hospital wing.

Plenty of times during the first week of practice, Madame Pomfrey would bark orders at Holly and I, who were simply labeling concoctions in the corner of her office, saying she needed "Skele-Grow" or some other type of paste to help ease pain or amend snapped bones. The more time passed, the more gruesome the injuries became…therefore turning my opinion more and more sour of the sport.

Nights before the first game, Holly and I were seated inside of the common room, studying for a potions exam. Holly is quite the intense student whilst studying. I always knew that she took school seriously, but never did I imagine how seriously she took _tests_. I couldn't help but chuckle periodically as she would test herself over various terms before breaking down, telling herself that she would never know all of the information she needed.

Many times, I thought that she was going to have a seizure because she was so nervous. Sure, some people would glance over and give a strange scowl before continuing about their conversation.

"What's the difference between a brew and a concoction?" She shot at me after nearly two straight hours of studying. Her voice was hysterical as she took off her rather large reading glasses. "I don't remember, Lana! Help me remember!"

I let out a deep sigh and slammed the book shut. I had wanted to stop an hour ago, in fact, I had never wanted to begin, but in order to please my friend, I agreed to this massive study session. Carefully, I slid my hand over and shut her notebook.

"Breathe Holly, just breathe," I said calmly before sliding the materials out of her lap as she slid off her glasses and rubbed her head, obviously breathing slowly.

"Lana, how am I supposed to do well on this exam if I don't know the difference between a simple concoction and brew?" She barked at me, still running her hands through her hair.

I shook my head and looked away before assuring her that she did, in fact, know the difference between the liquid mixture, brew, and simply the mixture, concoction. We even worked so hard as to come up with a saying to keep the two straight and ten minutes later, I assured her that she was as ready as she could ever be.

Finally, she slid off her glasses and folded them, placing them on the coffee table to put them well out of her reach.

" I can do this," She told to herself in a steady mantra. " I can do this. We can do this, we can do this."

I will not deny the fact that, had I not been her friend, then I would have had to chuckle at her. She appeared similar to some sort of an addict that was assuring herself that she could stay dry. Still, knowing her, I knew that her grades were important to her and it was not necessarily a laughing matter.

It's for this reason that whenever I heard a chuckle or two behind us that my insides began to boil. It seemed as though these, boys, had no sympathy for the girl who simply cared for her grades. At first, it appeared as though Holly was so caught up in her own world that she was oblivious to their mockery, but minutes after the breakdown was over, a silence hung in the air as the chuckles and mockery came to an abrupt halt.

She looked at me before inhaling deeply and looking forward.

Even through the silence, one of them had the audacity to say another comment in a high pitched, mocking tone," I can do this…I can do this."

I turned to look at the comedian between statements and he had even added a nice little hand pump to accentuate his mockery. It took everything within me to not tear over the couch, but I simply stood up and turned to look directly at the three boys, dressed in their dirty Quidditch robes.

The boy was immediately silent as I looked straight at him. I recognized him instantly as the boy on the train that wanted nothing more than to be on the team. Apparently, he had made the team and was trying to fit in with the others. He had not seemed like the type to be so rude when I spoke to him alone in the bookshop, but he hadn't even given me the time of day. I didn't know him, but it seemed as though something was array.

"You find something funny?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest, appalled at how rude they were being to a fellow house-mate.

Another boy swallowed hard and answered for the boy who Charlie told me was Oliver Wood, the boy who had been caught making the comment.

"No, we were just-" The other boy started, but I shook my head.

"I did not ask you," I said firmly, shaking veraciously on the inside. I looked directly at Oliver Wood. "Do you think something is funny? Because from what I can see all we are doing is studying."

"I-I," He spluttered, surprised that I would say something. "I'm-"

He could say nothing because a single noise broke all the conversation we could have had. Holly sniffled and it was as though her tear echoed through the entire room. My heart was nearly torn in two as she stood up and looked at the boy with tear-stained eyes before sprinting away, ignoring everything I tried to say to make her stay.

"You're sorry? Do you think that's suppose to make it okay?" I shot at the same group of boys who were immediately solemn.

"We were just joking first of all," Oliver said with a sudden urgency to his voice. "And secondly, you seem to be pretty bold for a first year."

I raised a brow at him, amazed at him once again. In a matter of seconds, my entire opinion of him had completely changed.

"First of all, she obviously doesn't think you were 'just joking'," I said to him before continuing on. " And secondly, maybe I'm not bold, but I simply care about others feelings. I don't think that has a specification based on year in school."

A chorus of "oos" were released as the look on Oliver's face dropped immediately. It appeared as though he was filled with regret, but I was more concerned with my friend who had already went through enough emotional turmoil for the night.

"Listen, can you just-" He tried to cover up, but I simply held up my hand and said.

"I think you've said enough," I answered before turning and rushing up the stairs to find Holly and be a comfort to her.

I heard the chatter of conversation pick up in the common room as the boys presumably were talking about what had happened. They probably had not meant to be as rude as they appeared, but anyone who took pride in their schoolwork would have found their banter to be offensive. Quite frankly, I couldn't spend much time making a case for them because I had a friend who was probably crying her eyes out.

Whenever I entered the dorm room, I found many of her belongings to be sprawled about on the floor and heard a loud, weeping sound coming from the wash room. I took a deep breath in again. Though their comments were offensive, I found this to be a little over-the-top. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little more resentment for the Quidditch boys.

Slowly and carefully, I picked up her belongings and piled them on her bed. There was no one in the dormitory, strangely enough, and I proceeded through the circular room to the wash room, where she was curled in the corner, under the sink, sobbing loudly. I proceeded through the room and bent down so that I could see the girl, a crying mess.

"Holly-" I tried, but she simply waved me off.

"Go away, Lana," She balled, rubbing her eyes.

I was silent as I leaned away and folded my legs up as I waited for her to calm down. I was not going to go anywhere, but simply wait for the storm to pass. After waiting for nearly a half an hour, her sobs were subdued as she spoke to me.

"Why do you even like me?" She asked, sniffling.

This was a very profound question for such a short notice. I felt as though I had to answer this question very carefully in order to prevent from losing a friend, whom I genuinely did care for.

"Because you are one of the most intelligent girls that I have ever met-"

She cut me off and laughed dryly," That's quite a feat, huh?"

"And because you are humble, nice and sweet. I haven't known you for very long, but already I couldn't have asked for a better friend to have, Holly. Those boys-"

"Don't talk about them please," She pleaded, her voice feeble and soft.

I swallowed hard, nodding," Some people don't have an appreciation for true jewels in life, Holly."

She blinked several times before looking at me with an innocent look plastered on her face," You really think that?"

It took me no time at all to nod and grab her hand," I know that."

A smile finally came to her lips as she rubbed her nose one last time. I could tell that all she needed was reassurance, like anyone else would have needed. The poor thing just wanted to be told that what they said _wasn't_ true.

Slowly, she pulled herself out from under the sink and looked straight at me," Thank you for studying with me tonight, Lana."

As she stood up, I looked at her and said," You're very welcome."

* * *

><p>Weeks later, the first game of the season had come upon us and as the other students were allowed to go and watch the festivities, Madame Pomfrey had required that Holly and I stay in the hospital wing. I had argued with her for quite a long time about this, but she finally grew tired of hearing me and threatened to kick me out of the hospital wing.<p>

Sure, I may not have liked the atmosphere one hundred percent of the time, but the trivial problem was not worth getting fired from the hospital wing. It was starting to become more positive.

I remember the day very clearly. There were few patients in the wing and Holly and I had been allowed to sit out in the main area, looking through the tall windows to see if we could catch a glimpse of the fields, but both Holly and I knew that the establishment on the other side of the campus was not clearly visible from the hospital wing.

I sat on a stool, picking at my nail while Holly tucked her legs up in the chair and spoke to me," Who do you think is going to win?"

"Well, I've heard that Hufflepuff is pretty good," I said in a monotone voice, bored out of my mind.

"So have I," She answered simply.

I did, mentally, try to focus on the positive fact that she and I would not have to suffer through the pain of seeing the boys who had caused her so much emotional strain.

Several minutes passed and Holly and I continued with the mundane conversation we had been having. Madame Pomfrey came in and out, sometimes barking orders at us, but it felt as though no time had passed since the last time she had spoke to us when she was running to the front doors that had violently been thrown open.

Holly and I instantly jumped from our positions and looked to the swarm of gold and red robes bringing in their fellow player.

"Girls, go into the office and grab the Skele-Grow and pain-relieving paste! Quickly!" She yelled at us before escorting the group to the nearest bed. We nodded, not daring to disobey her, but as Holly ran off to the office, I snuck one look to see just who had been injured so quickly in the first game of the season.

Oliver Wood, the boy who wanted nothing more than to be on the team and who had broken my good-friend's spirits lay unconscious on the bed.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Let me know what you guys think :D**


	14. Awakening

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of J.K. Rowling's.**

Chapter Fourteen: Awakening

Instantly, I wished for nothing more than to simply walk away from the bedside where the unconscious Quidditch player lay. He hardly deserved any medical attention for the actions that he had committed. Perhaps, I was overreacting, but at that moment, I was thinking far too much of my friend who had been hurt terribly by this boy…who may have wanted nothing more than to fit in with his friends, but he had done much more than just that.

Walking away, I encountered Holly who was carrying a tray with several bottles of Skele-Grow lying atop of it. She started to speak to me, but all I could seem to do was stutter over how I was to tell her who the latest patient in the hospital wing was.

"I'm finally done labeling these bottles," She panted, setting the platter down with a clatter. "I felt as though it would never end. My fingers are practically numb! Do you think it is possible for one's fingers to-"

"Holly, I need your assistance at once!" Madame Pomfrey called from around the corner, where I presumed she was examining the Wood boy. I wanted to warn Holly of what she was about to see, but the events unfolded too quickly in front of me and Holly furrowed her brow before tucking a piece of her brown hair behind her ear, meekly tending to Madame Pomfrey's call for help.

I couldn't help but bite down hard on my lip and turn on my heel to watch Holly's reaction to what she was about to see. I slowly stepped forward to see how this was going to unfold. Holly stood, appearing to be very submissive to the head of the medical wing, before peeking between bodies to see the Quidditch robes.

Before any major reaction could be witnessed, Madame Pomfrey happened to see my standing about, and called to me," Lana, please make yourself useful!"

I had no energy to argue her; therefore, I reluctantly turned and grabbed the tray of Skele-Grow en route to re-entering the storage closet. Sighing and silently grumbling over my rotten luck, I opened the door to the closet and wobbly opened the door while balancing the bottles.

Blindly searching in the dark, I swatted my hand about before locating the string, thinking that it would be much easier if I could simply wave my wand and turn the light on. I knew this was not necessarily a plausible idea for one of two reasons: I did not know how to conjure up such a spell and secondly Madame Pomfrey clearly told both Holly and I that we were not to even walk into the hospital wing with our wands.

Not that we would have been of a threat to her anyways, Charms was not necessarily my strongpoint. At first, I had been excited to be able to wield a wand and truly begin to feel like a witch, but I did not seem to pick up on it as naturally as others had. Granted, potions was more in my area of "expertise".

Getting my mind back on track, I began grabbing bottles one by one and lining them up with the other bottles of Skele-Grow nearly at the top of the closet, I had to stand on a platform in order to even attempt to reach the correct shelf. I was rather proud of myself for not dropping any of the bottles, but this seemed to be far too good to be true because Holly stepped in to the closet after several minutes.

"I _cannot _believe this," She said adamantly, folding her arms over her chest. The sound of her voice spooked me and caused the single, last bottle on the tray to fall, crashing to the ground.

I shrieked as the bottled smashed and the liquid spilled all over the bottom of the closet. Quickly, I grabbed the towel that Madame Pomfrey had told both of us of on the first week of orientation. I never actually thought I would be using it, but low and behold I was wiping up the stray liquid, as Holly grabbed the broken glass bin.

"I suppose we will just have to-" I started to comfort her, but Holly was starting to rave all over again.

"How could this happen? Quite possibly one of the most rude individuals in the entire school and I am stuck watching him-"

"Holly," I said, looking up from sweeping the broken glass. "You really won't have to be around him all that much. I'm sure that Madame Pomfrey will have us locked away in her-"

"That's not what she just told me, Lana!" She fired back, grabbing a piece of glass from the floor. "She wants me to 'get a feel for seeing a patient'. I tried to explain to her that I do not even have an interest for this field, but-"

"You didn't say that," I said, looking at her incredulously.

Holly opened her mouth to protest, but she then dropped her head," Okay, so maybe I didn't say _that _exactly…but still can she not tell that I am not ready for this?"

"I think you should be happy," I told her softly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear before standing up and draping the towel over the hook where it once was. "She will barely allow me out of her sight…actually, out of her office. I'm surprised she hasn't told me to leave yet."

Holly shook her head, picking up the bin and setting it back against the wall," That's not true-"

"Molly! Molly, where are you?" Madame Pomfrey called from the other side of the wall, sounding rather livid.

Holly looked at me and rolled her eyes, Madame Pomfrey had a tendency to mix up her name every one and awhile, before turning the handle of the door and revealing herself to the frantic nurse. I followed close behind her, expecting to be ignored, but instead of looking right to Holly, Madame Pomfrey's eyes found mine.

"Laura, make yourself busy! I've plenty of files that need labeling in my office," She barked orders at me before looking at "Molly" with a whole new sense of urgency. "Alright, come along now, Dolly."

Holly looked at me with a look of complete disgust before following along.

The next few days followed in the similar manner with Madame Pomfrey yelling orders at Holly, making up a new name for her each time. I couldn't help but pity Holly for being treated, essentially like a slave, but I was being kept busy with other tasks that made my previous tasks look very minor. Madame Pomfrey seemed to leave all of the office work up to me and as an eleven year old girl, it was very…overwhelming, but I was given instructions and tried to follow them as best as I could.

* * *

><p>A week after the incident, life in the hospital wing had calmed down a little bit, but there was still a lot of concern for the Wood boy; he had yet to return to consciousness. Madame Pomfrey still had other patients slowly being rolled in, but her concern was still with the Quidditch player. She told us (or mumbled under her breath rather) all about how dedicated she was to bring that boy back and how he was most certainly <em>not<em> going to die on her.

In all honesty, my mind was not on the boy for I had other things to worry about. On evening; however, I was leaving after all of my duties were finished. Madame Pomfrey had taken Holly out across the grounds to show her something of utmost importance and had left her beloved wing in my hands. At that particular time, Wood was the only patient in the wing and all of us were under the impression that I would face little to no problems sitting in her office and organizing whatever she had managed to disorganize during the day.

Just as I was locking the office door and turning to leave the wing, I heard a groan. Initially, I thought this was just my mind playing tricks on me, but when I heard a second, louder ground, the second time, this was enough to catch my attention. Perhaps, it was only the pipes or something in the building, but I couldn't help but feel the need to turn and check in the main beds.

Slowly, I walked to see the line of beds, all empty, except for the one. Moonlight was pouring in to the hospital wing. I scanned the area, looking for the source of the noise and then, out of the corner of my eye, noticed the covers on the bed that Wood occupied, move slightly. I thought that I must have been imagining this, but when I saw the boy move and groan again, I knew that he must have been coming out of his slump.

Nervously, I walked around to his bedside and watched as his eyes slowly fluttered opened. His eyes did not look as though he was completely alert, but rather, in a daze. I eyed the bottle sitting on the bedside table. Though I had not been monitoring Wood, I had heard Holly and Madame Pomfrey talking plenty of times about what they were to do as soon as he woke up.

Whether I liked it or not, it appeared as though I was going to be the one to witness the event that Madame Pomfrey and Holly had long awaited.

Before I did anything, I wanted to be sure that he was actually awake. I shakily asked," C-Can you hear me?"

He blinked several times before moving his eyes from left to right, returning to world which he had been absent from for so long. Though I did not like this boy, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him at this particular moment. He was a year older than I and yet it appeared that he was at the intelligence of a newborn child.

I thought that he wasn't going to answer me. If he didn't, then I had absolutely no idea what I was going to, or supposed to do for that matter.

Luckily for me, he shifted his eyes over to my general direction and said, very slowly," Yes, I can."

I took a deep breath in before opening the drawer to the bedside table and pulling out a small glass. Slowly and carefully, I grabbed the bottle that Madame Pomfrey had set out. I tried hard to replay what I had heard about the amount…was it in ounces? Glasses? I was thinking this out right?

He continued to search the room with his eyes, fascinated by this seemingly "new world" to him.

There had to be some sort of further instruction in the table, but before I could search anymore, I heard someone clearing their throat behind me as the candle seemingly lit itself.

A disgruntled Madame Pomfrey stood behind me with her arms folded over her chest. My jaw dropped open as I looked her straight in the eye and quickly put my hands off of the bedside table. She looked at me disapprovingly before stepping around me and looking in the table to be sure everything was in order. I took several steps back before she turned back and spat at me," Just what did you intend to do, Miss Stockholm?"

I was caught very off-guard and looked down, embarrassed greatly," I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey, I just thought that I would have been able to help some-"

I stopped speaking because I knew that the more I spoke, the more I was digging myself into trouble. I could feel her eyes nearly boring holes in me as I stared at the tiles on the ground. It wasn't for another several moments that she spoke.

"Well, I appreciate the thought, but please…go on back to your dormitory," She spoke, surprising me greatly as I felt as though I dodged a very large bullet.

I stood there for several more moments, merely in shock, before nodding to her appreciatively and turning to leave.

In a way, I couldn't have been more relieved for anything I would have put in that boy's system was probably going to be the wrong thing. It was nice to know that someone who knew what they were doing was going to be there instead of me, an amateur.


	15. Shifting Personalities

**Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter Fifteen: Shifting Personalities

I can honestly say that despite the fact Oliver was looking better and doing better in the days after he awoke, there was still a piece of me that despised him greatly. His Gryffindor teammates were swarming the hospital wing, making me incredibly uncomfortable, on top of the discomfort I naturally felt around Madame Pomfrey. The lack of individuality he had bothered me greatly. Of course, I may not have been as well known as Wood, but my opinion was still unchanged and I felt it to be the most accurate one of him.

At seemingly the worst time, there was a change of events with Madame Pomfrey and her view of Holly and I. Holly's roles seemed to be swapped with my own. The head nurse was calling me to assist her in tending to the boy more and more often, much to my demise. One evening, I remember she had beckoned me into the room before asking me to change the wraps on his leg where she had bandaged the once open gash where the boy had crashed to the ground.

"You know what to do, correct?" She asked, standing up from the stool, pushing the pail of warm water into my arms.

I looked at her warily," I've never been allowed to touch a patient before…"

I had not meant for my tone to come across as sardonic, but the nurse immediately narrowed her eyes at me, as if regretting her decision to allow me to bandage the boy. In fact, I considered keeping up the sarcasm; perhaps, I could wiggle myself free from this situation. Then again, I couldn't afford to be banished from the hospital wing; Professor Snape would never view me the same again.

Quickly and briefly, Madame Pomfrey pulled the sheet up and hauled the boy's leg up, rolling up his pajama bottoms as she did. She demonstrated how the bandages were to be unraveled and disposed of and explained that there may be some excess blood around the wound, but it was unlikely. However, if there was, then I was to clean it up. From then on out, I assured her that I knew what I was doing.

It was only a matter of moments before she had exited and I was alone, sitting on the stool and unwrapping the bandages from Oliver Wood's legs.

In my opinion, it would have been far more comfortable had neither of us said anything to one another, but he broke the peace with a statement that only made himself look a little more foolish.

He cleared his throat before continuing," So… you work in the Hospital Wing?"

I cut my eyes at him, briefly looking away from the wounds and answering hesitantly," Yes…"

"That's…remarkable," He answered, as if forced.

Awkward was hardly an accurate word for the air in the room.

I looked him straight in the eyes for several moments before shaking my head and looking off into the line of beds, some occupied and others empty, before turning back to the wound. Perhaps, if I simply ignored him, then he would shut up.

"So…do you enjoy it?" He asked tentatively as I finished unraveling one leg, grabbing the wet towel from the pail and gently dabbing the wound, watching him flinch slightly at the touch.

When finished, I tossed the rag into the pail before leaning back and looking at him once more," Well, I would certainly not rank it with one of my favorite things to do, but it isn't killing me so I suppose it is alright."

He blinked several times, obviously not expecting such an answer. I looked back to the wound, hoping that he would not ask any more questions. In fact, I wanted nothing more than to distance myself from this boy for some odd reason. I knew that he had offended my friend, this was true, but there was something else that simply made me uneasy.

However, he continued to press for conversation.

"So…do you like Quidditch?" He asked, sounding innocent enough.

I leaned back, unraveling the roll of bandage while doing so before exhaling slowly and answering with as level as a tone as I could," I've very little interest in Quidditch."

"You know, you could always try watching it…" He started babbling on and on about all sorts of different formations and Quid ditch language that I could only hope to understand. I found this opportunity very ideal; he was satisfied and I was satisfied with simply listen to him babble, but really only paying attention to bandaging up his leg. After several minutes of him talking (and barely leaving any room for breaths might I add), I had finished wrapping his legs and carefully unrolled his pajama bottoms and covered the sight of impact before collecting my items and rising to my feet, apparently cutting him off mid-sentence.

He looked up at me, obviously catching the message I was sending him. I glanced over to him before nodding cordially and starting to exit, careful to push back the stool as I did so and stack the supplies neatly on the bedside table. Just as I thought I was going to escape without another word to him, I heard his voice and mentally groaned.

"Are you avoiding me because of what I said about your friend?" He asked bluntly, wanting nothing more than an answer.

I bit down hard on my lip and saw out of my peripheral view, Holly standing in the door frame

of Madame Pomfrey's office, as if waiting to hear the very same answer. How hard it was for me to actually answer rather than simply walk away without another word. Much to my displeasure, I looked straight into his brown eyes and said firmly," Yes."

Perhaps, I was being too harsh with him, but the first impression I had of him was not the most pleasant. In the moment, I was so caught on my emotions and how baffled I was at him, rather than looking past his flaws. Little did I know, that there was much more to Oliver Wood than just a Quidditch player.

* * *

><p>The months seemed to pass by quickly and I grew more and more accustomed to the life of the hospital wing in addition to juggling the work I needed to finish for school. Madame Pomfrey was still a case that I had not yet figured out, but had everything been going perfectly smooth, then Holly and I would have nothing to gossip about as we labeled cauldrons.<p>

I do not remember the exact day, but when Oliver Wood was released from the wing; it was basically a day of celebration amongst his teammates. I remember hearing their hollers through the office doors and wishing that the walls were much thicker than what they were.

Life outside of the hospital wing was going rather smoothly, as well. Every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I would chat with all of my fellow students. Including Benjamin, whom I was beginning to speak more with. We had gotten into a habit of sitting in the common room and telling each other of our day.

"Strange, you would think he wouldn't say anything to you at all," Benjamin told me practically whispering. He was referring to Oliver Wood on the evening that I had explained the events of briefly speaking with the Wood boy. "You'd think his ego would have been too hurt."

I shook my head as I pulled my legs up under me," I don't know…he seemed sincere enough and I don't know if having a big ego is…_him_."

Benjamin's eyes widened, as if taking my comment as a joke before laughing, still hushed," Him? He's a Quidditch player…isn't having a big ego on the application?"

I shook my head, slightly embarrassed by my companion at the sight of an empty room around us (whispering was unnecessary)," First of all, I don't think they fill out an application. Secondly, you don't have to whisper. Thirdly, I don't know if anyone really knows the real Oliver Wood."

"I'll answer your statements in chronological order," Benjamin answered matter-of-factually. "If they don't currently fill out an application, then they most certainly should. Next, I don't want to take any risks…if they hear _me _speaking ill of them, then my social life is most certainly ruined. Lastly, why are you making a case for him?" Benjamin only raised his voice half a pitch.

The question rung in my ears for several moments before actually processing and moving up to my brain. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out for several seconds," It just seems odd is all. Someone going from such a recluse, reading books and such, to being such an obnoxious jerk. I highly doubt that a person can be two polar opposites in a matter of days."

There was a pause as Benjamin processed the thought. In that time, I added a side note to the conversation, teasingly," Oh and for the record…your social life is already ruined whether they hear you or not."

This resulted in an immediate reaction from the dark haired, brown-eyed boy," Hey!"

I shrugged my shoulders, smirking," It's only the truth."

His mouth hung ajar for several seconds as he blubbered as to his comeback. I simply patted him on the shoulder before standing up, still chuckling and moving over to the table that I had placed my homework for the evening on. Potions and Charms awaited me though I could not say that I was excited to explore into the world of Potions or Charms.

* * *

><p>Another person whom I rarely saw was Anna, the girl who I had met on the train en route to Hogwarts. Being placed into different houses really did dampen any sort of relationship that had begun to form. I remember seeing her several times and beginning to greet her, but watching her simply walk by without a word or glance even.<p>

I tried to not let the ignorance bother me, but when it turned into habit; I couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

Strangely enough, I remember when the school was emptying for Christmas holiday and seeing Anna sitting alone in the library as I passed by with my luggage behind me. I could have kept on walking and left for the train, but there were several minutes to spare and the idea of walking by and leaving someone completely alone in the abandoned library would have driven me mad. Even if it was someone who had acted as though I hadn't existed for the last few months.

Slowly and tentatively, I ambled into the library's open doors and approached her, feeling as though every inch of my body was shaking," Hello…Anna."

The words sounded so foreign since I had not spoken to her in so long.

She looked up once, met my glance before looking down again and saying simply," Hello, Lana."

It was obvious that she was less than excited to see me," Are you…are you working on something?"

Though I was asking the question, I knew that we had several assignments to get started on for the break. By the looks of it, she was working on a rather complex Potions assignment that I remember receiving, looking at once, and developing a headache simply by gazing at it.

She cut her eyes at me," Yes…Potions."

I nodded my head, looking down at the paper and still confused at this girl, who I once had spoken so friendly with before. I probably should have walked away then, but something inside me forced me to stay there, standing awkwardly beside her.

"Oh, that's…-"

Before I could finish my phrase, she was already cutting me off.

"Don't you have a train to be catching?" She asked me, simply but pointedly as she looked straight at me.

I looked straight into her eyes, wanting to know just what it was that she was not telling me. How could a person change personalities so drastically? It seemed rather similar to a person by the name of Oliver Wood. Was there some sort of disease going around that caused such polar changes in personality.

"Yes, yes I do, but I just wanted to check in on-"

"Lana! Oh thank goodness, I found you," Benjamin said, nearly out of breath as he rushed into the library. Before he could finish his thought, he laid eyes on Anna and smiled cordially at her. "Hello there, Anna."

Suddenly, the look on her face seemed to brighten as she smiled at Benjamin," Hello Benjamin, how are you?"

I stood there, completely and utterly baffled.

"I'm doing well," He answered, nodding as he looked at her. "Are you not going home for the holidays?"

I couldn't help but cringe as he asked this. The answer seemed obvious, but the damage had already been done for the question had already been thrown out.

She looked down, biting on her lip before nodding," Yes, I am. Only for this year though."

"That's alright," I said, inserting myself into the conversation. "The castle will be lovely during this time of the year."

Her comment to me this time was only slightly warmer," Yes, I suppose so."

My eyes just so happened to catch a clock as Benjamin and Anna continued speaking to one another. I allowed for a pause in the conversation before finally informing the both of them of the time and that we really did have to leave then. I felt the eyes of Anna burning at me as she looked up as I said," It really is getting late…we should be going."

Benjamin nodded before the both of us began to turn away and Annie said kindly," Have a happy holiday. Safe travels!"

Her tone of voice was rather chipper and friendly, I looked over and smiled kindly at her, genuinely hoping that she had a good holiday, though I couldn't help but feel a little sad for her. Benjamin did the same and in a matter of seconds we had left her presence. The two of us continued walking and casually speaking to one another, but the conversation was cut short as we reached the end of the corridor.

The doors to the library were still ajar and from the inside the sound of sobbing could be heard. A girl's sobbing who both Benjamin and I immediately thought to be none other than Anna.

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! One of these days, I am going to get back into my writing schedule, but school is kicking my butt as of late. All I know is that the next chapter is going to be DRAMATIC. So be prepared :D Thanks for reading and please, please, please let me know what you thought and any opinions you may have! Have a lovely week!**


	16. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter Fourteen: Homecoming

I stopped and looked at Benjamin for several minutes before looking back at the open library doors," What should we do? We can't just _leave_ her."

Benjamin sighed and crossed his arms," If only we'd know, I could have gotten permission before from mum and dad. I'm sure she could have stayed with us."

"Or with us…" I trailed off, looking at the doors and wishing there was more that could be done for the lonely girl.

"I don't think we have much of an option," Benjamin said, as we both saw out of the corner of our eyes, Professor McGonagall standing and watching, as if waiting for us to react. She knew where the both of them were supposed to be and, quite frankly, they were not where they were supposed to be.

I saw her lips open ever-so-slightly and before she could utter a word, the two of us were walking briskly toward her, appearing as though we were walking toward the train, but what she did not know was that the same question lingered in both of our minds. At the time, we may not have been aware of the other's thoughts, but as soon as we stopped in front of the emerald-robed lady, we knew our thought was shared.

"Professor," We said at nearly the same time. Slightly embarrassed, I glanced at Benjamin and nodded for him to continue.

Her eyes nearly bore holes into us as he spoke tentatively," Professor, we…well, we were just thinking-"

"Yes, Benjamin?" She asked, pursing her lips ever-so-slightly.

"Our friend, Anna, well, you see she's stuck her alone over Christmas break and we were just wondering if-" He asked, but lacking the confidence needed.

Immediately, I could tell the answer was written all over the older woman's face as she folded her arms over one another. She finished his sentence for him with a frown and shake of her head," I'm sorry to inform you, but Miss Anna will be staying here over break due to a specific request by her parents. Even if this was not in place, she would need both a letter from her parents and your parents allowing her to come with you. Now, I suggest that you hurry along to catch the train. You've not much time left."

I opened my mouth to argue with her, but she simply shook her head," Happy Christmas to the both of you."

Before I could argue further, I heard Charlie Weasley's voice coming from behind the two of us, calling joyfully for us to head on to the train along with many other Gryffindor members. I couldn't help but think of Anna, who, even though she may have acted cold toward me, did not deserve to be alone and unhappy. Hogwarts would have been a wonderful place to stay with companions, but being isolated was not my ideal vacation.

* * *

><p>In the back of my mind was the sound of Anna's tears, but conversation with Benjamin and Holly kept the silence from eating away at me. We chatted about our families and plans that we all had for Christmas holiday. Holly was going to have a nice family celebration with her parents and, in all honesty, it sounded as though we were all going to be doing about the same thing, only in different places.<p>

More than likely, Benjamin and me's paths would cross once or twice over break, but when the train pulled into King's Cross and the doors opened to the families waiting below, I said farewell to Holly in addition to all of the other new friends I had made during the first term. I stayed with Benjamin for a little while longer as we searched for our luggage together. Finding luggage in itself was a nightmare, but after both trunks were located, the search for our parents began.

All around, reunions were taking place and after stepping on several toes and pushing gently through several reunions, Mrs. Flockton appeared in the crowd, her tall and slender figure appearing head and shoulder over the others. As soon as her eyes laid on Benjamin, her face lit up as he quickened his pace and went to embrace his mother.

I watched, smiling as the two hugged and she kissed him right on the cheek, much to his displeasure. Moments after, she looked straight at me before waving me over. I found this to be strange, but continued on anyways, assuming that she simply wanted to say hello.

"Lana! How wonderful to see you too!" She exclaimed, pulling me into a quick hug before grabbing my trunk from my hand. "Your mother asked for me to bring you home. She said that your father and her had something…rather unexpected come up, but for you not to worry because they would be home in time for a welcome home dinner."

I stared into her eyes for a long moment before nodding, slowly processing her words. Of course, I acted as naturally as I could in response to this, but deep down I couldn't help but be tortured with the idea of what this "unexpected business" could be. Nevertheless, I assisted Benjamin in telling his mother all of our stories from first term and how exciting it was to finally be at Hogwarts. To the both of us, it was still so surreal.

The trip home seemed to fly by with our conversation going at the rate it was. All of our stories barely fit into the short trek from the station to Diagon Alley and then from Diagon Alley to the Floo Network. Before any of us realized it, we were standing in the Flockton residence.

"Lana, would you like any tea or scones before we go on over to your house?" His mother asked me, standing up straight from the fireplace as she grabbed the luggage and smoothed out her dress.

I shook my head and thanked her for the offer, but explained that I wished to go on home. She understood, of course, before walking through the kitchen and setting down Benjamin's trunks.

Just as she reentered into their living space, Benjamin looked at me once last time," Well, I suppose this is goodbye."

"For now," I grinned cordially before hugging him and then grabbing his mother's hand.

She looked down at me and I waved bye to my friend one last time before she confirmed that I was ready. One word sent us flying through the air, seemingly and as the confusion and contortion came to a stop, we were once again standing on my own home's front porch. My trunk in my hand, I dropped it down as I looked into the dark windows of my home. Strange that no one appeared to be home, but I did remember that they had "unexpected business." .

Mrs. Flockton looked equally baffled as I before jiggling the doorknob. Slowly and with a slight creak, the front door popped open. I looked up to her," Will you come in with me? Only for a moment-"

"Of course, darling," She answered, smiling at me reassuringly.

The house that I was walking into was most certainly not feeling like my home. It was dark and the furniture appeared to be scattered about, as if someone had been moving it about in a rush, or furry rather. I dropped my trunk on the ground as I heard a floorboard creak on the opposite side of the house, echoing to our ears.

"Lana, come back here," Mrs. Flockton whispered, grabbing my wrist and pulling me sharply behind her.

I stayed silent and obeyed as Mrs. Flockton crept forward, staying silent on her toes. In the silence, we heard a door crack open," Mary? Richard?" She called into the eerie silence.

We waited for several moments, waiting for an answer. However, little did we know that the answer we were to receive was not going to be one of the verbal sort, but of the charm sort rather.

As we came close to the corner, a man with scraggly hair and tattered clothing appeared from the hallway, pointing his wand directly at us. As if anticipating this, Mrs. Flockton pulled out her own wand at precisely the same moment and kept me pinned behind her back.

"Why are you here?" She demanded, a whole new tone of severity that I had never heard in her voice before.

The man leaned against the frame of the entryway, as if humored, before narrowing his eyes at her," Well…believe it or not, _I was invited_."

Mrs. Flockton's tone was doubtful," Where is Richard? He would not approve of this."

My mind was buzzing with all sorts of ideas and curiosities.

The man reared back and laughed heartily before saying," Dear Richard is away at work. And you are quite correct in saying that he would not approve of this, now aren't you? I do believe that you have failed to introduce his child to me."

I swallowed hard, realizing this was a direct reference to me. How would he know who I am? He doesn't even know me. I had never met this man before in my life. My heart was beating nearly out of my chest as I awaited Mrs. Flockton's response. Surely, she knew what she was doing.

"You haven't the honour of meeting her," She snarled back at him, keeping a tight clutch on my arm.

"Haven't the honour?" He asked in response, his tone very sharp. I peeked around her waist to see him take a step forward, still holding his wand high, but it was dropped slightly from where it had been before. As he came forward, his guard was down even more, but this was only for show as he reared up to shoot a spell at Mrs. Flockton. To my amazement, she pushed me to the ground as she answered this spell with one far above my knowledge of witchery. The scraggly man twitched once or twice before falling to the ground with a crash.

I looked in awe at Mrs. Flockton. Never again would I view her in the same pair of eyes that I had before. Quickly, she sprinted over to the window, as if oblivious to anything else and set her eyes directly on the cottage property directly across the street. I slowly pulled myself from the ground before asking her what the issue was.

"Mrs. Flockton?" I asked tentatively, but she merely shrugged me off as she pushed by me, in a state of fury as she pulled open the front door. Peering around the corner, I could see that a woman stood at the white fence that marked the end of our property.

Mrs. Flockton looked to be anything but happy to see this woman.

"Your daughter has just returned from school and this is the greeting you've got for her?" She screamed, storming out of the house to the front porch before continuing on the face this woman, whom I later recognized as a very disgruntled version of my mother. "What if I had allowed her to walk in there alone?"

I tried to stay as calm as I could as I approached the screen door, looking out to an infuriated Mrs. Flockton and a pale, gaunt mother, looking at her with rather dead eyes and frazzled hair. Her skin appeared as though it was sagging, strange for my mother who may not have been the most attractive woman in England, but she most certainly never looked as horribly as she did standing at the edge of our property.

"I do believe you are taking this out of proportion," My mother answered, her voice soft and a little dazed. "He would not have harmed her."

"He just now attempted to injure me, what would stop him from taking her down too?" Mrs. Flockton growled in a voice that I had never heard her use before.

Mother simply ignored her fury and looked past her to me, standing in the doorway at the confused scene behind a screen door. Appearing drugged of some sort, she waved and said lazily, "'Ello Darling!"

Tenderly, I raised my hand and waved back to her.

Mrs. Flockton literally grabbed my mother's chin and pushed her gaze directly into her own eyes, though I only saw the back of her, I could tell by her tone that she was just as angry as she had been before," Listen to me, Mary, if you involve that little girl with what _you_ are doing-"

Mother jerked herself out of her grasp," With what _I_ am doing? Please, if I had a choice, then do you not know that I would take it and leave forever? My foolish mother made a commitment to this plan. She made a commitment to _him_ and I haven't a choice but to follow and finish what she couldn't finish because of her debility."

A silence hung in the air for a moment as Mrs. Flockton took a step back and my mother spoke once more and spat at her longtime friend," The Dark Lord is not a man with whom I wish to be in debt with."

It was the first time in a long time that I had heard him mentioned. Was he not dead? Was he not vanquished a long time ago?

Mrs. Flockton shook her head," He's dead, Mary. Why can't you-"

"Dead?" Mother yelled, for nearly all of the country to hear. "Are you suggesting that the voices that haunt me are just a figment of my imagination? Are you suggesting that, that snake is simply coincidence?"

She lowered her voice and looked at her with a crazed look, "He's found me and he won't leave until he's done what my mother promised."

Mrs. Flockton ran her hands through her hair before looking back at my eleven-year-old figure standing in the doorway. She shook her head, as if apologizing that I had to hear all of this. At that time, I hadn't the slightest of what was being mentioned, well I may have had some idea, but processing the idea that my mother was somehow linked to the Dark Lord was a thought that I refused to think.

It was not long before mother was storming by Mrs. Flockton's figure en route to me, as she walked past Mrs. Flockton she spat at her," Stay away from us. I want you to have nothing to do with my daughter."

Mrs. Flockton shook her head, hardly believing what she was hearing before yelling," Your daughter is in danger."

My heart nearly stopped beating as mother looked to me before stopping on the porch and looking back at Mrs. Flockton," From who?"

"You," She nearly whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

And with that, I had taken far too much for one setting. My mother may have been coming to the door, but I had turned, grabbed my trunk, and stormed to my bedroom, careful to step over the limp body laying on the floor.

**A/N: So, maybe after this chapter you have a little bit of an idea as to what's going on with Lana's mother. Give me your thoughts! And predictions…that would be awesome. Thanks guys! I can honestly say from this point in the story, things get much more interesting.  
><strong>

**Much love,**

**TennisQueen12**


	17. Bound, Trapped…Tied

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of J.K. Rowling's. :D**

Chapter Seventeen: Bound, Trapped….Tied

I remember locking my door and refusing to answer, even as my mother pounded away. It wasn't until a few hours later that I heard the front door open once more, my mother had grown tired of trying to arouse me from my bedroom and was off in the kitchen, presumably fixing dinner. This most certainly was not how I imagined my first evening home from school.

The walls were thin enough for me to hear some of mother and father's conversation. It sounded as though father had been informed of what had happened before. Though I could not hear much, I could sense from their tones that it was not a particularly cordial atmosphere.

Footsteps came toward my door as I was still throwing clothes from my trunk, that lay open on my bed.

"Lana?" My father's voice asked, softly through the door as he knocked gently.

I let out a deep sigh before answering," Yes?"

He hesitated before asking," Dear, will you please let me in?"

I looked down at the blouse in my hand before pulling open my wardrobe and shoving it carelessly inside. My father was not the one with whom I was angered and found that it was only fair that I allowed him in. Quickly, I placed myself behind the door, unlocking it before pulling it open to see his figure leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

He nodded toward my room before raising his brow," May I?"

I nodded my approval without any words as he came into my room, pacing about for a moment before placing himself on top of my bed. After he was in, I shut the door, clearly alienating my mother even further from our conversation.

"Lana-" Father started, but before he could even utter a full sentence, I was ready to speak.

"Father, tell me why there was a man in my home when I first got here. Why were you and mom not at the station to pick me up? Why did Mrs. Flockton yell at mother? Why does mother have a 'debt' to the Dark Lord?" I spluttered out so many questions that my immature mind could hardly process any of what was saying. The overload was simply too much and all I could do next was break down to tears.

Out of habit, I rushed to my father's open arms and cried into his shoulder for a support that I knew would not last for long. It felt good to release all of my emotions and have him patting my back, assuring me that it was going to be okay, but several minutes later, he calmed me down enough to set me down on his lap, just like when I was a little girl. He looked at me and wiped away another stray tear or two before continuing on to what he had to say.

"Lana, I know that all of this is a little overwhelming, but please listen to me, okay?" He asked, softly, rubbing my back softly. "Your mother and I have been…discussing several different options since you have been gone away at school. This is a difficult time for mom right now…her mother, your grandma, left her with a rather thorny situation to sift through."

I remember looking into his eyes, staring directly at him as if searching for answers in his eyes. He merely kept his hand on my back, patting sympathetically. Eventually, I ripped my eyes away from his and sniffled once.

"Why don't you tell me more father?" I finally asked as he lifted me from his lap and back onto the ground.

As he stood up slowly, he kept an eye on me before looking to the ceiling, exhaling slowly and saying," Darling, if I had the liberty to, then I most certainly would."

"Why-" I had barely gotten the question out before he shook his head at me and gave me a final statement.

"Lana, please. I will tell you when I am allowed to," He said sternly, more sternly than he ever had before. He paused for a long while, as if partially regretting what he had said and waiting for the air to clear. "Now, I am dearly sorry for missing your arrival. Dinner will be ready soon."

However, I was not concerned about dinner. Nor was I concerned about my father being "allowed to tell me". I was concerned about learning what was wrong with my family and why strange, eccentric things were happening.

I never realized how quickly my comfortable life at home could change in a mere matter of days. Dinners at our home were silent with the exception of when I would pipe in something about school or Benjamin. However, it seemed as though when I mentioned Benjamin, my mother tensed up all of a sudden in one way or another. She had even gone so far to ask me not to mention "those people". Needless to say that I would not be seeing Benjamin for quite a long time. Father would try to carry on the conversation, but even he could only support it for so long.

The awkward dinners were not what worried me most, though. The nights were what made me nervous.

"Mary, you're playing with fire," My father grumbled, as I listened through the thin walls with my ear pressed against the wall.

"What do you mean?" She spat back icily at him. "You're acting as though I. Have. A. Choice."

"You do have a choice now," He growled at her. "Do not partake in these ceremonies. Do not risk it. If you should succeed-"

"That's the whole point, Richard!" She yelled back at him. "The whole goal of the mission is to return him to his human form. Don't you realize that this is what I _must_ do?"

Slowly, and ever so slowly, I was beginning to piece together the pieces. I remembered hearing words such as "Potter" and "Peter", a long with quite a bit about a rat. Prior knowledge had told me that the Dark Lord attempted killing Harry Potter, but only succeeded in murdering his parents. Since then, it was rumored that the Dark Lord simply disappeared never to be seen again. I had never cared much about Potter's story before, but I was realizing that he may be a piece to the puzzle as to why my mother was acting so strangely.

It was at this point in the conversation, many a night, that father would silence her and I would hear their light shut off and run silently to my bed before their door slid open and one of them came down the hall to check on me.

One evening in particular, there was even more mention of this Peter and rats. I was up, eavesdropping as usual, but it was at this moment that I heard a furious rapping at the front door. Immediately, I heard both of my parents footsteps rush from their bedroom, past my door and to the living area.

I took this as my opportune moment. I was sick and tired of being left out of the loop on what was happening and I wanted my parents to see me once and for all. Smoothing out my night dress, I grabbed the door knob and turned it before pulling open the door and creeping down the hallway.

I walked until I was at the edge of the hall, leaning against the frame.

"Ah, Peter, how nice of you to see us once again…only I see that you've graced us with your human, non-rodent form," My father said snidely, crossing his arms over one another, looking at the man standing in the doorframe.

The man I saw in the moonlight was a shaggy, tattered-looking man with hair that was simply unbearably stringy and an odor that I could smell from where I stood. Though I could not see a very accurate description of the man, I could feel his eyes lock on me as my father awaited an answer from him.

This man seemed to be not interested in either of my parents, but me.

Biting down on his lip, he let himself into our house and slowly strolled in, appearing very…rat-like. Mother and father were still oblivious to my whereabouts, but not for long because this man soon made a direct reference to my eavesdropping.

"And who might this be? Offspring?" He said, the pitch of his voice very high (for a man) and uneven.

Father couldn't have spun around more quickly and though it was dark, I could tell that he was livid.

"Lana-" He started, but my mother was the one to step in. Though her eyes were cold as she bore into me, she said in a monotone voice.

"Let her stay."

He looked at her as though she were mental. She simply kept her face stoic before turning back to the man," That is my daughter… Lana."

Father still looked rather stiff and uncomfortable as he inched closer to me. Before he could come any closer, I watched father step between myself and the stranger," Peter, you'd best keep your distance."

Mother looked slightly irritated, but said nothing as Peter folded his fingers together, beady eyes still locked on mine as he folded his fingers together," Protective, are we, Richard?"

"Your business isn't with her," Father answered, looking back at me, wanting nothing more than to send me back to my room.

Peter stood up straight and broke eye contact with me before looking to my mother. Before he could say anything, mom spoke first," I thought you were still hiding behind that little wizarding family out in the country. Half bloods, right? Oh, no I do believe the Weasleys are blood traitors."

He tapped his fingers nervously together," Well, I've only t-t-taken a little getaway is all. I should be back home before anyone notices I was gone."

My mother's eye brows raised," Ah, yes. And what business do you have here?"

He bit down hard on his lip," Well, I wanted to know…if…if…if…-"

He paused, staring directly at me once again as he did so. It was as if he was filtering his words due to my presence, but the thought process did not last long before he was spitting out exactly what it was he meant to say.

"You've heard anything…from _him_. Or anyone else, for that matter?" He asked, or purred rather.

Father stepped into the kitchen, pulling out his wand and waving it to turn the lights up. As he searched for a glass, he called back into the other two," If you're wondering about the Lestranges or any of the sort, the last I heard they were stuck in Azkaban. Don't expect a reunion anytime soon."

Mother let out a dry chuckle before answering Peter," No, but I can assure you that _he_ is in safe hands."

"You are not keeping him here?" The rat-like man asked, almost whispered, tapping his fingers together nervously.

Innocently, I watched as the saucer and tea pot placed themselves on the counter, sugar plopping itself in halfway through before father directed it toward the main dining table. He spoke as he placed more sugar on the table and pulled a chair back for me to place myself in.

"Come here, darling," He spoke delicately to me before turning and much more sternly saying to Peter. "Peter, I got that _thing_ out of my house the moment it sat foot in here. The closest it has ever been is-"

"Richard!" Mother cut in, glaring at him. "Pay little attention to what he says…he is only blowing hot air is-"

"No Mary!" He shot right back. "You know that I am tired of being the villain when you both are clearly the ones in the wrong."

All of this was spinning around so quickly in my head that I just wanted an answer. Had I the courage to ask for an explanation? Not a lick, but I remember running my hands through my hair and rubbing my temple to a rhythm.

This Peter clicked his tongue disapprovingly," It appears as though we've a doubtful follower amongst us-"

Instantly, my father's wand shot up to Peter's ugly, scared face," You will not associate me with such."

A smirk grew onto Peter's quivering lip," You cannot deny what you are bound to…Richard. In fact, you swore an oath to-"

"I never swore an oath to the cause. No one in _my _family ever did such a thing," Father quickly corrected before glaring back at mother. "I made an oath to someone whom I was deceived by…"

Mother did not have an answer to this, but merely laid her eyes on the floor beneath her feet. I had never seen her look so defeated and weak before, but standing in the dark, I could see her weaknesses brighter than any daylight would have given me.

There was something that father had said that baffled me. He said that he made an oath to someone who had "deceived" him before looking directly at mother. I couldn't help but wonder if he was referencing his wedding vows as Peter was referencing whatever it was that grandmother had left to mum. This ideas may have been far-fetched, but they were still theories, nonetheless.

"…And in all honesty, I would be much obliged to break an oath that was made on false terms than stay with it and risk an innocent child be dragged into a mess she should never face," Father said strongly, slowly putting his wand down before turning back to me, not looking at mother for even a second.

Before he could reach me, Peter leaped toward him and grabbed him by the arm, pushing him aside ever-so-slightly as his rat face came toward my own. He crouched down and looked me straight in the eye," Miss Lana."

I looked right at him, not blinking," Yes?"

He smirked at my response, surprised I responded at all. Slowly, he looked up at father, as if mocking him as he leaned closer to me," You see, Richard, your daughter hasn't a choice. You can take her to the ends of the world, but one day…_he_ will find her. She will follow…" he turned his eyes back to me," In the path of the women before her. When Mary dies, he will need another. He will expect another because he is not one to forget oaths."

I met my father's eyes and noticed how tightly clenched his jaw was. From her place in the middle of the room, mother spoke up, in a near-hysterical voice," We're tied to the past. We're permanently bound to something that will never go away nor will it end. Each and every day it is being multiplied upon what was there before."

And in the moment, I had had enough. From somewhere within my small frame, I pulled up the nerve to ask a single question," Who is he that ties us to this mess?"

All eyes, even my mother's, where set on me. Father started to step forward to protest, but Peter simply placed both of his hands on my shoulders and whispered," _He_ is…."

Again, my father's wand came from his pant pocket as he threatened Peter," Don't even think of telling her-"

Before another spell or word could be uttered, his awful breathe exposed the truth that I had been asking for," The Dark Lord. He who is worthy of all magical praise and attention, dear Lana. Your grandmother had a rather liking for-"

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Father yelled, more loudly than I had ever heard a person speak before and which such amazing force. My eyes widened as I jumped back and watched the man be thrown violently against the wall with a deafening crash and just as my father pulled back for another spell, I watched as the man, who had looked very similar to a rodent seemed to transform right before our eyes after the brutal beating he had just received. This rat didn't dare stay for any longer than necessary and scurried out of the cat's door.

We all sat there for many moments, simply breathing and trying to take in all that had just happened. When the silence was broken, my father demanded," Get up and go pack everything you will need for a week in your trunks, Lana."

"But father-" I argued, wanting to know so much more since I had been given a bait.

"Lana," He nearly growled, looking directly at me from behind his thick-rimmed glasses.

I did not attempt to tell him that Christmas was only three days away. We seemed to have much larger problems at our hands; therefore, I trotted along like any obeying daughter would do before packing everything and anything I thought I would need. Though father only said we would be gone a week, or insinuated rather, I had a feeling that I would not be seeing my mother for quite some time.

When I came out of my room, dragging my trunk behind me, only to have it scooped up by father when I arrived, I looked at mother, sucking back tears. Did I even recognize the unkempt woman with scraggly hair? Of course, physically I did, but the sound of her voice had changed and her personality was not what it was. Reluctantly, I came closer to her as she opened her stance. Her eyes were bloodshot as she bent down to eye-level," Whatever you do, Lana and whatever happens…please don't forget about all of the exuberant times we had as a family. Please remember your memories."

I only stared at her, unable to say anything as she leaned in and pressed her dry, cracked lips against my cheek," Mum will always love you."

Barely audible, I whispered back," I love you, too."

It was then that I felt father place a hand on my shoulder and mother stood up straight, looking him in the eye for the first time. He ushered me to the front door, but that did not prevent me from hearing the words from the front porch," We will not be coming back. _I_ am done."

And with that…my whole life had changed at the ripe age of eleven.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but there you have it! Thoughts? Concerns? Let me know :D Thanks a lot guys! **


	18. Seperated

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling has the rights…not me.**

Chapter Eighteen: Separated

Whenever we left my mother and headed for grandmother's, I don't think I realized the severity of what had happened initially. It wasn't until several days later of father coming and going that he told me that separation was going to be the only answer. That Christmas was…ruined to say the least, despite my grandparents earnest tries to make it better. That break was absolutely miserable and I remember returning to school feeling as though I literally had just been trampled.

At first…realizing that my parents meant divorce was hard to swallow. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with one another after a certain point. At eleven years old, this didn't make much sense, but as I grew older…it started to click that they couldn't stand more than two minutes in each others presence.

My parents settled that the house would be my mother's property, my father had no desire to go back to that home while he simply wished to move back in with his parents for a short while. That short while ended up being much longer than we had anticipated, but it got the job done, I suppose. My time was divided between the two places and in all honesty, I preferred being with my grandparents and dad because…they actually acknowledged me when I was there.

Mother, on the other hand,….I really only saw her at meal times and passing by in the hallways while I was with her. And I may have been young, but I certainly wasn't stupid enough to not realize that my mother had jumped right back into finding another man to replace father. When there were several different fellows over in the course of a week…even an eleven year old could have figured that one out.

Another thing about my mother was that the older I got…the more eccentric and strange she became. She was especially distant around me and we seemed to have even less in common as I grew older, but I may be getting a little ahead of myself, therefore, I'll leave it at, my mother's house was not my favorite place to be. In fact, I spent more time at the Flockton's house…even though my mother couldn't stand the Flocktons…she hardly ever paid enough attention to even realize I was gone.

I remember my first visit with mother since the divorce…I was looking for someone to speak with and after getting into a rather pointless argument with my mother, I remember running out of the house, tears running down my face, and I had no intention of stopping. In fact, I ran and ran all the way to the Flockton's home, where I knocked on the door and nearly immediately fell into Mrs. Flockton's arms. After many tears and words to try and explain the situation, Mrs. Flockton finally allowed me to simply sit in their parlour, alone to try and sift through my emotions. I appreciated this greatly and she told me I was welcome to stay for as long as I liked. I knew, of course, I couldn't stay for too terribly long considering my mother would come looking eventually…or she should have. This may have been my original home, but it certainly did not feel like such.

Benjamin eventually entered into the room, his hands in his pockets as he sat across from me. We were only children, but having his presence did make me feel a tad better.

"I'm sorry, Lana," He said quietly, after several moments.

I looked at him with tearstained eyes, wondering what the proper response was to a statement like that. How was he sorry for what my parents did? How could he possibly understand the pain I was feeling in my heart? His parents would probably be together until death…how in the world could he relate? Knowing that if I said any of these thoughts, I would sound like a spoiled, heartless little prat, I swallowed my feelings, my pride and said a simple phrase," Thank you, Benjamin."

He smiled, half-way before saying," You're always welcome here, Lana."

My safe haven was the Flockton's home.

* * *

><p>My father, on the other hand, I was a little more comfortable with, but that didn't mean I wasn't still a little upset with him, as well. One time, at grandma and grandpa's house, I remember sitting outside under a night sky full of stars. It was a bit nippy out, therefore, I had a blanket pulled around my shoulders as I stared up at the beautiful sky overhead. The divorce was still fresh and conversations were sometimes chopped and awkward.<p>

"So, how are you adjusting to all of this, dear?" He asked, probably genuinely, but I couldn't help but feel a tad bit of resentment toward him.

"I'm fine, dad," I said coolly, not giving him much to work with.

There was a silence before he tried to start a conversation and said," I'm going to be looking for a new home…soon. That'll be nice, don't you think?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head, but saying nothing else.

He let out a sigh before running his fingers through his hair," Lana, dear, I know this is all a little confusing, but please-"

I shot him a look before interrupting," Dad, I know you can't tell me anything…please don't try to say the same thing again."

"Lana, I actually can tell you some things soon, but we have to wait until-"

I looked at him, narrowing my eyes before standing up. I shook my head, mostly because I really was sick of being told that I could know, but the time just wasn't right. I let out a sigh before turning and entering the house, where grandma was standing, brewing a cup of tea in the kitchen as I passed through. Before I could make my way to my room, she had grabbed my arm.

"Lana, dearie, your father never wanted this," She said seriously, looking me straight in the eye.

I stared at her for a long while…looking for answers in her eyes, but little did I know that answers wouldn't come until I was much older. Pure confusion was the most accurate way to describe me at the time.

I didn't understand any of this and the only other reaction I knew to do was express my confusion through tears and collapsing into her arms. I don't know how long I was in her arms, feeling the warmth of an embrace, but it hardly mattered because there was nothing she could tell me that would make me understand. Eventually, I remember being walked to bed, but after that evening…I knew that this was my new life. Nothing was going to change in my foreseeable future, therefore, I needed to get used to it.

And get used to it…I did. Eventually.

Obviously, I tried to make the best of the situation and learned to live with it. Though it may be hard to believe, this life became normal. Over time, I chose to accept that there were certain things I may never understand about my family no matter how hard they tried to explain it to me. Being shipped between mother's home and father's home was what I expected my breaks from school to be like to be like.

Even at school, there was a time where I had no desire to speak to anyone and really introverted myself. I participated in some social events at school, went to Quidditch Games, kept my friends, and continued my job in the medical wing. Years went by where I was just like any other student at that school, sure they were some of the best memories of my life, but all of that was nothing compared to what was in store for me.

If I remember correctly, then it wasn't until my fourth year at Hogwarts that things started to change a little bit. I had turned fourteen years old and had grown into my teenage years, quite comfortably. My friend circle was still the same for the most part Benjamin and Holly were still two of my closest friends. Anna didn't want to have much to do with me, just as before, but my suspicions had been confirmed about her feelings for Benjamin…well, I guess not officially confirmed, but they may as well have been.

Okay, so there was no obvious reason, but I just…had a feeling, alright?

Benjamin had stayed close friends with Percy Weasley, as well. Much to my displeasure, many conversations when walking with the two would go from boring to downright sleep-worthy. Many a time, I found myself strategically unweaving myself from their presence before locating someone else to chat with. Although all things associated with Percy were not boring for he had two younger brothers who were only a year younger than I and they were quite the opposite of boring. Their names were Fred and George, twins, who I found to be hilarious and enjoyed their company greatly.

I'll never forget the first time I met them during my second year...

* * *

><p>"<em>Holly, I don't know why we sit here, honestly," I commented to my friend at breakfast as we sat in the Great Hall, picking at eggs and bacon as Percy and Benjamin were chatting about something way above our heads.<em>

_My friend looked at me, laughing before swallowing a swig of orange juice," We could always…you know…make new friends."_

"_Too much effort," I said under my breath, smirking at her as I stabbed the eggs on my plate._

_It was at this moment that I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see a lanky, red-headed boy who looked to be rather young. He had a smirk on his face and a strange resemblance to Percy…this boy seemed to have a much more…exciting aura about him, however._

"_Looking for new friends?" The boy asked me, pulling a strange contraption from his pocket. "I've got just the thing for you! Developed it myself!"_

_I felt a tap on my other shoulder and turned to see…an exact replica of the boy on my other side. Out of pure shock, I let out a soft yelp and put my hand over my mouth. My reaction obviously was what the two wanted and therefore high fived one another over my head. _

"_Did not! I helped mate!" The other one exclaimed after they had high fived. _

"_Only kidding, Fred," The original boy said with a smirk on his face._

_At the same time, the two brothers squeezed themselves on either side of me on the bench. I shot Holly, who was laughing, a glance before turning my attention back to the twins._

"_Right, George. Now, let's tell the lady about our product," Fred continued, showing me the same contraption from before._

_It was at this moment that Percy butt himself into the conversation. Shocking, this appearance of these two boys was enough to break he and Benjamin's conversation._

"_She has no interest in anything you two have created," He said snottily, more rudely than I would have done._

_The one who I thought was George furrowed his brow," Have you asked the lady?"_

"_You're just being modest for us brother!" Fred exclaimed, smiling widely._

_For some reason, it seemed as though these brothers were trying to get under Percy's skin. It did surprise me that they were related…as far as personalities went, they seemed to be polar opposites._

_Percy's face drained of its color as soon as Fred said the "b" word. He looked around nervously before whispering hoarsely to the two of them," What did we say about referring to each other in such a manner in public?"_

_George smiled wildly at Fred before they said at the same time, more loudly," What was that, brother?"_

_Seeing Percy in such a state was hilarious in itself._

_Percy stood up, giving the both of them a death glare. He addressed the rest of us sitting at the table," Please, excuse me."_

_As the oldest Weasley stormed off the twins high fived again before Fred turned back to me," Well, esteemed client, it appears as though we've got some damage control to be tending to."_

"_Therefore, we'll leave you with the New-Friend Magnet free of charge," George said to me, handing me a piece of metal with wild colors painted across it._

"_We'll even waive the shipping and handling fees!" Fred pipped in._

"_And convenience charge!" George added, like a true salesman._

"_No taxes either! Don't forget the tax-free policy!" Fred played right alone._

_I chuckled at the spectacle before saying," Looks as though I got quite the deal."_

"_That you did!" Fred said with a wide smile._

_Just as the two of them stood up, the one I thought to be Fred said to me," Now, don't forget…I'm George."_

"_And I'm Fred," The one I thought to be George said._

_Now, I was really confused._

"_Fred" hit "George" before he said incredulously," Now, wait you know that I'm Fred and you're George! Don't confuse the poor girl!"_

"_You're the one confusing the poor girl! I'm clearly George and you're Fred! Oi! Knock it off mate!" The other twin yelled to him, quite frankly I stopped putting names to the both of them by this point._

"_The only real important thing to remember is that we're Percy's siblings!" One of them nearly yelled across the whole Great Hall as they ran off, exiting the room, presumably to cause more trouble for I doubted they actually intended on apologizing to their brother._

_As they exited, the three of us remaining couldn't help but laugh. Charlie Weasley had been fun, Percy had been "interesting"…but these two seemed to be a whole different side of Weasley that we had yet to experience. _

* * *

><p>And all of my other encounters with them continued in a similar manner. They were always so happy and exuberant.<p>

As I said before, life was as normal as it could be under the circumstances. Sure, home life was confusing, as always, but the summer going into my fourth year at Hogwarts…I was expecting just another "normal" year. Going to Diagon Alley, getting all of my school supplies with mom (one activity she did do with me because father was growing more and more hesitant toward magic the older he got) and packing away my clothes was just routine by that time. And as I climbed on the train, I would say goodbye to her until the holiday after next. It was just as it had been every year before.

In fact, it wasn't until I was told that I was to be moved up to the next year of Potions that my fourth year of school got a little…awkward to say the least.

**Author's Note: Long time no update, I know, I know and I apologize :D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I realize I rushed through a lot in this chapter, but for continuity's sake…I had to have a "jump ahead" chapter. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think! I hope this chapter made sense...I've been trying to get my brain back into Harry-Potter mode over the last few days.  
><strong>

**On a side note, I WENT TO HARRY POTTER WORLD! It is quite possibly the best place on Earth...that is all :)  
><strong>


	19. Advanced Potions

**Disclaimer: I own very little :D**

Chapter Nineteen: Advanced Potions

Holly was the only person my age. Was that so terrible? Not necessarily, but being in a class filled with students older than myself was…intimidating to say the least. I could only hope that Snape would be generous in his seating chart and at least allow for us to sit next to one another.

Just because we were the youngest in the class, didn't mean I didn't recognize the others in the class. In fact, I knew Percy Weasley right off the bat…as well as a majority of the Quidditch team. To my luck, I hadn't seen many of them about unless I was, well, at a Game. The Weasley twins were the newest additions to the Gryffindor team and it only slightly lowered my respect for them.

I stayed as close to my companion as I could, making sure to not draw any unnecessary attention to myself.

"You don't think this was a mistake do you?" Holly asked me as we waited in the back of the classroom.

I looked straight at her," Of course not! They all recommended we do it…you can't go wrong when you're going off of a recommendation, right?"

She looked away, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear," I'm not so sure of that."

Almost as soon as she said this, Professor Snape appeared from out of his office in the dungeons, sweeping into the room and looking over all of us with narrowed eyes. All speaking that had been taking place was silenced as he looked us over before stiffly saying," Take a seat."

Holly and I looked at one another as if we had just discovered the world's best treasure. Was he really being this generous?

It must have been too good to be true because just as everyone's chatter started back up and partners were chosen, he made another announcement," In your _assigned_ seating on this parchment."

Just as quickly as our hopes had been up was how quickly they'd been destroyed. Holly and I shot each other a look of disappointment before hearing the collective class groan. Everyone filed up to the front of the classroom to see just where they had been placed. Each student tried to keep their emotions mum, but it was obvious that some of them had gotten lucky and were just trying to keep it quiet.

Holly and I were the last two to check out the seating chart. As soon as I located my name near the very back of the class, I made my way to my seat and saw that she was on the opposite side of the room in the very front. We couldn't have been any farther away from each other.

I hadn't even taken the care to look and see who my lab partner was until several seconds later. When I did look…I'd really rather wished I hadn't.

A Quidditch player I hadn't spoken with since my first year at Hogwarts. A boy with a certain obsession for the sport and a Scottish accent to top it all off. The last time I spoke with him was when he was sitting, injured in the medical wing. It took nearly all of the manners within me not to groan a loud.

"Ah, Lana Stockholm, it's been awhile aye?" He asked with a ridiculous smirk on his face.

I narrowed my eyes at him before sarcastically responding," A bit _too_ long, Oliver Wood."

It wasn't that I hadn't seen Oliver Wood for that long…that would have been ridiculous. In fact, I saw him quite frequently whether it be on the Quidditch pitch or wandering about the common room. When someone is both a Quidditch player and in the same house, it would be hard not to at least see them. Also, it was rumored that Oliver would be Captain of the Quidditch team this year…just one more thing to make him slightly crazier than what he already was about the sport.

There was a silence for a while as Snape looked over his notes at the front of the class. Strangely enough, a quite buzz of conversation hung over the room. Wood took this as an opportunity to "catch up", I suppose.

"So…how've you been?" The brown-eyed boy asked, folding his hands on the table.

"Just fine," I said simply, looking at him from the corner of my eye. "Could be better, but…Quidditch is well, I suppose?"

I asked the wrong question…

His eyes lit up at the mention of that," Oh yeah, we've got a lot of returning players this year and who knows what type of new ones coming up from second year. It's always exciting, ya know to put together a team for a new season and-"

If I didn't cut him off there, then he would have gone on for another ten minutes straight," Oh, that sounds wonderful."

He smirked and nodded," It is."

For the first time in my life, I was pleased that Snape had begun his lecture. Already, I realized that this was to be a long term if I was to deal with Mr. Quidditch every day during this hour.

Essentially, he explained the basics of the class and what we were already expected to know. I couldn't help but notice his glare periodically at both Holly and myself. The thought passed through my head that perhaps he really didn't have a say in the decision to move us up. At the moment, I found that Snape and I must have had something in common: he didn't want me in Advanced Potions and I certainly didn't want to sit in his class next to Wood.

Toward the end of his lecture, I distinctly remember his last words.

"Typically, students are compelled to take more levels of Potions in order to prove to both themselves and future employers that they have knowledge that is above average. Consider this a warning: if ever at once you found Potions to be difficult before…you may wish to reconsider your class schedule."

Almost immediately, his dark eyes shot over in our direction. I didn't think he was referring to me, but he seemed to be looking straight at Oliver.

And with that, the bell rang sounding the end of class.

* * *

><p>"Today, we are going to be brewing an Oculus Potion. The use of this potion is mostly in medicine when a patient's eyesight has been impaired or lost either by a Conjunctivitis Curse or natural causes. Therefore, the correct brewing of this potion is essential as I will be taking the best to Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing; I have yet to take this potion to her from a student. Your ingredients and recipe are located in front of you and in case you do not understand: the only ingredients to be used are Wormwood, stewed Mandrake, ground Unicorn horn, and crystallized water. You may begin," Snake droned in his usual monotone voice in front of the class.<p>

This was our first official potion to be made though we had spent many days simply reading out textbooks, which is quite dull, in my opinion, but it did prevent from any social interaction with any other persons.

As soon as Snape stopped speaking, I grabbed the hair tie off of my wrist and tied my hair out of my face before looking to my lab partner.

"You want to start the heat?" I asked him, grabbing the recipe from in front of us.

Strange, Snape had already prepared everything for us. There seemed to be some sort of an issue with this picture. It was for this reason that I wished to double-check each of the ingredients to be sure they were precisely what they were labeled to be.

"Huh?" Wood responded, clearly not paying attention at first before realizing what I had asked. "Oh, right, sure."

I furrowed my brow at him, suspiciously before adjusting the cauldron over where he was supposed to start the fire. I saw from the corner of my eye him raising his wand to begin. Quickly, he spluttered out the spell and managed to start a bustling flame under the cauldron. Unfortunately, that was not the only place the fire spread to.

"Bloody-" I started, realizing my sleeve was set ablaze. "Oliver!"

The look on his face was of absolute horror much more animated than I had chosen to be. Instantly, I shoved the outermost robe off my shoulders and sent it to the floor before stamping it out profusely with my foot. Professor Snape would have never known had the girl in front of us not looked back and shrieked. By the time the fire was extinguished, Snape had just arrived at our work station with a fowl look on his face.

"What is going on?" He demanded, observing my lack of robe and seeing it on the ground.

"Oh, nothing, Professor just a simple-" I started, bending over to pick up my robe in the process.

"It was all my fault, Professor. Just a shaky hand," Oliver chipped in, taking blame for what was rightfully his mistake.

Snape raised a brow," A shaky hand? Tell me, what does a shaky hand earn you in Quidditch?"

Oliver swallowed, clearly not expecting this question," Well, either a missed goal or an opponent scoring."

The dark haired man clicked his tongue," Ah, well this may not be a Quidditch pitch, Mr. Wood, but believe it or not there are consequences to mistakes in our world, as well. With that being said, ten points will be taken from Gryffindor."

A silent groan could be felt amongst our housemates. I opened my mouth to protest this and actually argue for Wood, but Snape stopped me before I could even begin.

"Do you wish to make it twenty…Miss Stockholm?" He asked slowly, just as he turned to return to the front of the classroom.

I shut my mouth and picked the recipe card back up. Snape returned to the front of the room without another word. I refused to look at Oliver for a while, but knew that I would have to speak to him at some point.

"You can put in the crystallized water," I said to him as I measured out the precise amounts of mandrake and unicorn we would need.

"Alright," He answered confidently.

I peered out of the side of my eye to be sure that he was indeed doing it correctly. I was sure he could handle it and he did with no problems. In fact, we worked rather well together in getting all of the ingredients put in with the correct ratios and stirring and whatnot. I was determined that for the rest of the term we would give Snape no reason to question us or…take points away for that matter.

I had just finished putting in all of the mandrake when Oliver read the last instruction on the list, requiring us to sprinkle in the ground unicorn hair.

"Lana, could you put in the unicorn hair?" He asked, as he began to cleanse his hands from the mess he'd made of them. "I'd, uh, rather be safe than sorry."

I smirked slightly at him," Of course."

I grabbed the ground unicorn hair that I had measured out before and sifted through it to be sure it was indeed what it appeared to be. After confirming this, I carefully sprinkled the hair into the potion, being sure to spread it out evenly. I furrowed my brow as the substance began to boil and my heart sank. There was no blaming it on Oliver this time…

"Is it supposed to…" He started to ask to which I promptly shook my head.

"No, no it's not," I said quickly, as we watched the potion gurgle even more. "Get down!"

I nearly pulled the Quidditch star to the ground just in the nick of time as the potion shot straight up to the ceiling before splattering all across the room. As I watched the aftermath, I swallowed hard, not wanting to accept that had just happened. I never messed up a potion…never. What type of a curse did Wood have on him? I was fairly sure it had spread to me, as well.

After the screams had settled and Oliver and I pulled ourselves up from the floor, I saw a livid Professor Snape standing in front of us as Wood said shakily," This time it wasn't my fault."

All I could do was glare at him as the bell sounded; the rest of the class exited, but there was no way we were getting out of this one unscathed.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think and remember that from here on out Lana is in her fourth year, Oliver is in his fifth year, which means that Harry and his crew are now in their first year. Don't be surprised if you don't hear about Harry much for awhile though. He will be mentioned, but I'm not going to focus too heavily upon him. Just thought I'd let you know :D**


	20. Scoldings

Chapter Twenty: Scoldings

We sat in Professor Snape's dark office, saying absolutely nothing. I wanted to think that there was nothing that I could have done wrong to cause such an explosion, but I knew that I must have flubbed _somehow_. However, it was because of Oliver and myself combined that made us look like complete fools in front of the class and may have jeopardized our role in Advanced Potions.

"Do you realize the severity of your stupidity?" Professor Snape growled as he entered his office, leaving no room for small talk.

"Professor, I-" Oliver started, but Professor Snape wasn't in the mood for conversing.

"_Someone_ could have been seriously burned by the potion and seeing as _you_ messed _something_ up in it, it very well could have been lethal," He spat out, clearly fuming. "I _could_ have you both dropped from the class immediately."

"Professor, please don't-" I tried, but once again, he cut me off.

"Lana Stockholm, you are in _my _classroom and under _my _supervision. While you are here, I demand proper respect," He added snidely, apparently sick of our trying to add to his lecture.

"Yes sir," I muttered, not very thrilled about it.

"Now," He continued, cutting his eyes away from me as he took a seat at his desk. "The punishment for this will not be as severe as it could be for I would like to hope that you both are more intelligent than your actions in class today. However, you will both serve detention for me for the next two weeks during the evenings and twenty addition points will be taken from Gryffindor."

My jaw nearly dropped to the ground, but I said nothing for I did not wish to worsen my fate. Because of a poor seating chart on Professor Snape's part, thirty points had been taken from our house in merely one day.

"Miss Stockholm, I will be forced to report to Madame Pomfrey on your actions in class today, as well," He added, dryly.

In all honesty, that wasn't nearly as threatening as the thought of serving detention for two weeks. Sure, I enjoyed the hospital wing now that I was being treated as an actual person, but…it wouldn't be too devastating to be released.

"You both should also know that should you so much as drop a unicorn hair in this classroom again…I will have to drop both of you from the class with a failing grade and with no attempt to take Potions again," He added, almost chipper (from him, that is) as he began sorting through papers on his desk.

I looked down at my feet before shaking my head, not believing that I had gotten myself into this situation. Professor Snape drawled on the importance of safety again before finally dismissing us. I nearly instantly stood up and stormed out of the room, not wanting to speak to either one of them any more.

Just as I reached the stairway to leave the Dungeons, I heard the Scottish accent hollering after me.

"Lana! Lana, please stop!" Oliver cried, and I seriously considered pressing on, but I reluctantly stopped half-way up the stairs to look back at him.

"What?" I demanded, looking straight at him. "What else could you possibly wish to say to me?"

"I want to make this up to you because none of this is your fault, really," He said, trying to catch his breath after sprinting up the stairs.

Passing students were looking at us as though we were mad, but I was hardly paying much attention.

"I made the potion explode, Oliver. Don't take blame for something-"

"But, you see, you don't even know why it did. I think I do because I cut the unicorn hairs in the wrong fashion. I-"

"Oh, Oliver," I sighed, and began to rub the growing headache that was forming.

"Please, just-I can't afford to be dropped from this class just like you. Quidditch requires a certain academic level and I would certainly be dropped from the team, if you just do all of the mixing and whatnot I can handle writing up the reports."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away. I hadn't a clue as to how to respond to this, but simply said to him," Fine, we'll see. I've got to get to the Hospital Wing now though."

I walked away quickly because, in all honestly, I was already running late.

* * *

><p>"What happened Lana? I couldn't believe that all came from you!" Holly said, mixing some basic salve as I filed papers at Madame Pomfrey's desk.<p>

"Yeah, me neither," I said, before groaning. "Holly, how am I not going to get dropped from this class? I have a Quidditch player who's far more interested in riding a broomstick than mixing concoctions."

There was a pause as she grabbed a new container to dump into the mix," Perhaps, you could ask Professor Snape for a new lab partner."

I laughed at this," Holly, he barely let me in to the class to begin with. I don't think he's going to be willing to make special arrangements for me."

She shrugged," Anyone knows your one of the best potion's students in that class. It would be foolish for him to drop _you_."

"I thank you for saying this, but I still think it matters little to Snape. He doesn't like the fact that we moved up in the first place-"

"You don't know that!" Holly added, stirring the salve quickly.

"I can make a safe assumption," I added, filing papers away into Madame Pomfrey's desk.

After this, there were several minutes of silence as we worked on our respective jobs quietly. I had nearly completed filing all of the medical reports when Holly began to chat about all sorts of school events again. Over the past four years, Holly and I had become very close friends and spoke of nearly everything to one another. Like many other students, there was always gossip to be found somewhere.

Unfortunately, one of the topics we most spoke of was a boy by the name of Marcus Flint who was from Slytherin. Between this buffoon and the clueless Oliver Wood, I had every reason not to ever like the sport of Quidditch. The issue with Marcus wasn't the typical Gryffindor-Slytherin conflict. Of course, I disliked him because he was from Slytherin, but I also disliked him because of his terrible attitude, lack of intelligence, and awful attempts to ask me on a date when no one was around.

"What's the latest update with Flint?" She asked teasingly to which I groaned.

"I haven't heard from him in nearly a week," I said slightly relieved.

"Wow, he must be finally losing hope," She said looking straight at me.

"I would hope so. You remember what happened last time he asked me out-"

"Oh, right that was the time you stood him up and left him at-" She started, and just before she could wrongly accuse me; I cut in.

"No, no, no….I told him I was busy and I really was-"

She cocked a brow at me," You really were _not_."

I laughed as I shook my head and closed Madame Pomfrey's file drawer for the evening. I stood up to organize one of the cabinets, mostly to avoid her comments, but my avoiding did not last for long because soon enough the door to the office flung open and in came Madame Pomfrey herself. Before I could even think to open the drawer, she had yelled at Holly to leave the room and ordered me to the chair in front of her desk.

"Holly, you are dismissed for today," She barked at my friend before plopping herself into her own desk.

Holly hesitated as she looked at me before exiting the room.

Almost as soon as I hit the chair, Madame Pomfrey began speaking.

"I just spoke with Professor Snape and it seems as though your performance in Potions is less than above average," She hummed, looked at me as she pulled out a notepad from her desk.

I opened my mouth to respond, but she kept on talking.

"You see, Lana…I just do not see how you can continue to serve under me if you continue to suffer in that class. Professor Snape is a very strict teacher, this I realize, but if you do not buckle down and get yourself together, then I will be forced to release you, as well," She said sternly to me, scribbling on a piece of parchment with a quill.

"I understand, Madame Pomfrey," I said quietly, nodding my head.

For several moments, there was only the sound of her scribbling on a pad of paper. I found this to be very awkward and hadn't a clue what she expected me to do. In all honesty, I felt a little strange simply sitting there. Therefore, after several moments…I broke the silence.

"Madame Pomfrey?" I started.

She looked up from her writing," Oh, right. Lana please…go along. Pay attention in class."

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor as I slowly stood up and she urged me out once more. How was I escaping with so little punishment? I couldn't believe it, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with it. As soon as I was out of the Hospital Wing, I met up with Holly, who had waited for me outside the doors.

After explaining the lack of discipline that I received, she gasped and we spoke over several theories as to why she would have done such a thing. We later concluded none of our theories were logical. It wasn't until we were halfway to the common room that she told me.

"Oh, wow. I just realized tomorrow's Halloween," She said as we turned the corner to take the stairs to the Fat Lady portrait. "Which means next week is the first Quidditch game of the season!"

I pulled my robes around me closer," Lovely. More food and festive decorations in the castle."

Little did I know, that Halloween would be the beginning of some overly dramatic events.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! Anyone know what's going to happen on Halloween? :D**


	21. Halloween and Quidditch

**Disclaimer: Trust me, if I actually owned this, then I would be much wealthier. **

Chapter Twenty-One: Halloween and Quidditch

The Halloween feast was absolutely spectacular. The decorations were immaculate and, generally, there was an air of good-spirit in the castle as we enjoyed the holiday season. I remember sitting down with the Gryfindor table and genuinely having a splendid time speaking of all sorts of topics. The Great Hall was decorated with pumpkins of all sorts, the spirits dressed up and conversed with the rest of us, while the professors discussed chipper amongst themselves.

"Nothing good ever comes from Goblins!" One of the younger boys exclaimed at the table, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I'll have you know that Gringott's is run entirely by goblins. They must be of some worth if they can protect the world's most sacred wizarding bank!" Percy Weasley was quick to argue.

"I have to disagree, Percy," Another boy added. "Those things are just greedy and plain old nasty."

I quietly cut my meat before taking another scoop of mashed potatoes, though I did lean toward Percy's side.

"That is a matter of personal preference! The importance to their role in society is a much more valid argument rather than-"

"Percy," George Weasley said as he took a seat at the table. "I think there's a question you should be asking yourself."

Percy simply rolled his eyes before setting his hand on the side of his head and saying very unenthusiastically," Do tell."

It was at this time that Fred popped up right beside me across from Percy," A very important question indeed."

"How many goblins does it take to screw in a light bulb?" George asked, leaning closer to Percy.

I immediately rolled my eyes before Percy groaned and asked," How is it you even know what a light bulb is?"

"NONE!" Fred exclaimed, a smile coming to his lips as he explained in his best imitation of a goblin working at Gringotts. "Time is money…money is-"

And just before he could get to the punch line, the beautiful dinner was interrupted by the sound of the doors to the Great Hall being thrown open. Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with the turbin that he always wore wrapped around his head, came sprinting into the room, appearing very out of breath. All of our eyes turned from the humorous Weasley twins to the sight of our frantic teacher. It was incredible at how quickly the room's joy had been shattered.

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! T-TROOLLL IN THE DUNGEON! Just thought you ought to know,"

He screamed before collapsing onto the ground.

Nearly instantly, this sent all of the room into a complete frenzy. All it took was the sound of Dumbledore's booming voice to put a stop to all of the commotion. I stopped, just as I was standing up.

"SILENCE!" His voice echoed through all the Hall and no one dared make a sound. "Now, Prefects will lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

It took several seconds before everyone dared move again. As soon as they did, however, Percy was quick to engage in his authoritive tone seeing as he was a prefect and all.

I asked little questions, but followed along with Percy and the rest of the crew. Though a troll in the dungeons was nothing to be thankful for, I did rather hope this would count as a pass for serving my detention with Snape and Wood tonight. My mind, however, was rather curious as to how this could happen. I ran through all sorts of different theories in my head, until I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

It was Benjamin, someone whom I had not spoken with in a while.

"So, how'd you do it?" He asked, nudging me in the side playfully.

I furrowed my brow," What?"

"The troll! Duh!" He teased before we both began laughing.

"Yeah, right. Like I would ever come within ten feet of a troll not to mention try and lure it into a school," I answered dryly with a roll of my eyes before chuckling along.

Benjamin had grown up quite a bit in the time that my parents had divorced and we had spent the years at Hogwarts. The difference in his appearance during his first and fourth year was nearly unrecognizable. Granted, he was still the same "smart kid" he was before, just with a clean hair cut and less baby fat. If he wasn't such good friends with Percy, he would have all the girls swooning. I don't mean this to insult Percy…but it was only true. The both of them were not the most socially gifted.

"How do you think it got in?" He asked me as we followed behind the authorative Gryfindor prefect.

"Haven't a clue," I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. "It was probably just some pathetic attempt at a prank."

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he whispered back to me," You don't think it had anything to do with Potter do you?"

Harry Potter. Potter. Mr. Famous Harry Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. It was all exciting and whatnot when he first arrived, but now it's only slightly annoying. It seems as though everything in this school revolves around him in one way or another. It is impressive that he survived a curse from the Dark Lord, but could we not treat him like a normal student for once? Then again, perhaps he was just destined for bad publicity.

"I'll answer the same as I did before. Haven't a clue," I said simply. "Though it is a possibility. Where is Potter and his little friend? The Weasley boy…Ron?"

"They were at dinner," Benjamin answered, looking at me out of the side of his eye.

"You don't suppose they…" I trailed off, leaving an open ending.

"No, I'm sure they're around here somewhere," Benjamin said, looking over his shoulder, as if actually searching for the two.

Again, I had little interest in being Potter and Weasley's nanny, therefore, I continued walking with the rest of the crowd. We would know soon enough who the culprit behind the troll was.

There was another sort of drama that had blossomed during Benjamin's career at Hogwarts, that being his relationship with a girl by the name of Anna, whom I met on the train ride to Hogwarts our first year. Of course, difference of houses leads to a distant friendship. Though Benjamin and Anna were nearly inseparable (they had officially begun dating at the beginning of our fourth year), Anna and myself had our fair share of differences.

Just as I was thinking of the dark-headed girl, so she passed with the rest of the Ravenclaw House. I noticed that she nudged her boyfriend, Benjamin subtly as she passed. She smirked at him wildly before moving right along with her class. Her long dark hair had not been cut much from when she was younger and still reached to her lower back. I noticed, though, that it was tied back into a braid down the middle of her head.

It took several nudges from myself to get Benjamin to come back to reality.

"'ello? Ben? Benjamin Flockton!" I finally cried, hitting him out of his fantasy world.

"Oh, what?" He answered as we stepped inside the portrait leading to the common room.

"You were nearly drooling," I muttered under my breath before walking toward the far corner of the room to move out of the, already crowded area.

He shook his head, as if trying to wake himself up before saying," Oh, right. Sorry."

"I suppose you don't _have_ to apologize. You are dating after all," I said, leaning against the wall as the rest of the students piled in.

"Oh, right yeah," He said, running a hand through his hair very awkwardly.

I shook my head and simply laughed at the boy. He was quirky and I appreciated him for that. Always.

* * *

><p>As the minutes passed by with no Potter sightings, we presumed this must have had something to do with him. The night began to grew late and sooner or later, most of the students had migrated to the their dormitories. Benjamin and I chatted for a while before he finally strolled off. I found that I was by myself, but I certainly wasn't going to bed just yet.<p>

I noticed Oliver Wood as well as the Weasley twins chatting in one corner, some other students here and there. I picked my spot on the couch in front of the fire and relaxed for a while until Percy, who had been summoned out of the room came in with news that the castle had been secured and details would come later.

"I do, however, carry a note for you and Mr. Wood," Percy added at the end of his spiel. "Looks as though Professor Snape wishes to see you."

Mentally, I swore as I grabbed the note and read it over. Low and behold, we were being summoned to meet Professor Snape in the Great Hall. I groaned a loud before walking over to inform Oliver of the news.

"Oy, Lana!" Fred greeted before George echoed.

"I've got a message for Oliver. We've still got detention tonight," I said, shoving the note toward him.

The Scottish Quidditch Captain looked at me as though I were crazy before taking the note and reading it over.

The Weasley twins let out a "ooo" before patting both of us comfortingly on the shoulder and whispering in Oliver's ear," Good luck, mate."

It took Oliver several seconds before he finally stood up and gave the note back to me. He started for the door without a word and I followed, wondering what had him so upset.

"What possibly could he have us doing?" Oliver groaned after we were nearly to the Great Hall.

"What we always do probably. The usual?" I guessed as we turned another corner.

"I've a Quidditch match in two days! I need all the rest I can get!" He muttered, almost growled as he turned the corner.

I couldn't contain myself. I laughed aloud at the sound of this.

His glare immediately shut down my laughter.

"Are you seriously worried about that?" I asked, clearing my throat and not trying to be anymore disrespectful than I already had been.

"Are you seriously asking me that question?" He returned with a bit of a snip to his voice.

I didn't answer, but merely stepped around him and continued into the Great Hall. If he was going to have an attitude, then I wasn't going to take time to converse with him. Upon our arrival in the Great Hall, both Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were discussing something in a rather hushed tone. It wasn't until Snape looked up and saw both of us standing there that he stopped speaking and looked us up and down with his lips slightly pursed.

"How nice of you to arrive," He said, in his usual monotone voice.

"We only just received the message," I answered back as respectfully as possible.

He raised a brow, as if apprehensive before walking toward the back of the Great Hall. In the corner, we noticed a stack of absolutely horrendous cauldrons. I feared that this was precisely our mission.

"As you both know, due to the disturbance in the dungeons we are not currently able to proceed down there. However, I have had some of the cauldrons from class today transported up here and you both are responsible for cleaning them until they are spotless," He said, grabbing one of the cauldrons and shoving it into my hands.

I took at seat at one of the tables where what I presumed to be Muggle cleaning supplies sat. Not wishing to cause any more ruckus, I simply began peeling the gook off the side of the cauldron. Oliver, however, had more to say.

"Professor, I've Quidditch practice early in the morning; I really cant-" He started, but Professor Snape was not one to show any sympathy.

In fact, he smirked slightly as he said," Oh, how terrible. I suppose you'll have to explain to your team how you exploded a basic potion in my class."

And with that, he shoved a dirty cauldron in his hand before turning to resume conversation with Professor McGonagall.

For several minutes, both Oliver and I scrubbed in silence for we were both bitter and didn't wish to speak with anyone. However, after scrubbing nearly half a dozen cauldrons…I was going to go stir-crazy if I didn't speak with someone. Seeing as I could tell Oliver was still upset, I thought that perhaps if I…spoke with him over something he was interested in then, perhaps we could at least mend our relationship.

"So….how's the Quidditch team looking this year?" I asked, a little hesitant.

I thought he wasn't going to answer, until he looked up from his scrubbing," We actually stand a chance this year."

"Oh…really?" I asked, scrubbing harder at a dirty spot.

"Yeah…Potter, uh, is quite the Seeker. He's got what it takes to really put us over the top," He told me, looking up again.

I had heard of Potter's skills, but only very briefly. I supposed he must have had some experience playing before, or at least practicing, but then I remembered that he was raised by Muggles.

"And what of the other Houses? Is there competition?" I asked, trying to be cordial and friendly.

"There's always competition, but I'd say Slytherin is the biggest challenge."

I grabbed another cauldron before asking," Because of talent or because…"

"They don't play by the rules," He said simply, looking straight at me. "Marcus Flint…"

"Sounds like you feel the same way I feel about him," Just as the words left my mouth, I immediately wished to take them back. I was suppose to be making small talk…not relating.

This seemed to spark Oliver's interest. He nearly dropped the cauldron looking at me as though I were some alien. His brow furrowed, I knew I would now have to explain what I had just said to him.

"You've something to settle with Flint?" He asked, obviously curious.

Snape happened to look over just as we starting into a deeper conversation. I heard his dull voice echo through the Great Hall," If you wish to be able to return to your dormitories soom, then I suggest not conversing."

Immediately, we both turned back to scrubbing quiet, but just as he turned back to conversation…I whispered to Oliver," Yes, but its not anything I wish to discuss."

"Lana, please…you can't say something like that and then say you're not going to tell me!"

"Excuse me, but did you both not hear me the first time?" Snape hollered again and I knew that this may be my way out of this conversation.

I gave Wood a warning look before whispering one last time," Not now."

* * *

><p>Days later, I found myself sitting in a rambunctious fan section at the first Quidditch game of the season. Benjamin was sitting to the right of me and Holly was to the left of me. It was a little brisk outside which was why all of us were sporting our scarves and sweaters. Excitement could be felt buzzing all through the Quidditch pitch. It was Slytherin versus our own team, Gryffindor. Just as Oliver said before, they were a huge rivalry…nemesis, if I dare say.<p>

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" The commentator, Lee Jordan, announced from his perch. Unfortunately, Jordan was a member of Gryffidor House…meaning he showed quite the bias.

The fan section erupted into loud cheers from both our side and the Slytherin side.

We watched as the players flew into their respective positions, forming a circle around where Madame Hooch came onto the field, where a trunk sat in the middle of the field.

"Now, I want a nice clean game...from all of you!" She announced, I couldn't help but notice her glance toward the Slytherin players.

Just as she said that, the bludgers and golden snitch were released into the air. As they began buzzing about, Madame Hooch released the Quaffle last. Nearly instantly, Gryffindor took possession and scored after some very impressive flying.

"Angelina Johnson scores! 10 points for Gryffindor!" Lee announced before adding ten points to the score board.

Slytherin took possession and was clearly not very pleased. I watched as Marcus Flint and one of the other players rushed toward their own path to scoring. Wood was perched right in front of their destination and just as Flint threw the Quaffle toward the goal, Wood turned and pushed it away with his broomstick. He smirked at Flint as the Slytherin glared back.

However, Gryffindor was back in possession once more. I believe the girl's name is Katie Bell, she's a second year. If I remember correctly, one of the nights at detention Oliver had told me the names of every single player on the team. He was rather impressed with her.

Another scoring for Gryffindor and the crowd going wild spurred the Slytherin to play a little bit rough. We watch as they obtain possesion and begin to drop kicks, elbows…whatever it took to get on the board. Just as Marcus Flint tossed the Quaffle, Oliver was there to block it once more. The crowd went wild, but Flint was mad as was the rest of his house.

Viciously, he grabbed the beater's bat and sent a bludger spiraling straight for Wood. Even though I wasn't the best of friends with him, I was…growing a little more fond of him. More importantly, I was upset at how dirty Slytherin was playing, in general. Just as Oliver fell to the ground, Slytherin house began laughing while the rest of us booed. It took their team little time to recover for quickly the green capes had scored and their side went wild.

"Looks like we may be seeing Wood in the hospital wing again, eh?" Holly nudged me, but I was looking to ensure he was alright.

"It appears that way, doesn't it?" I answered, slightly numb as my eyes were averted up.

I caught a glimpse at Potter, who still seemed so small compared to the rest of them out there. He hadn't done anything absolutely impressive yet, but he certainly hadn't had the opportune moment yet. At the moment I saw him, however, he looked just as upset as the rest of us. This anger grew when Slytherin boxed in Angelina Johnson, another skilled player, and ran her into one of the observation towers. In the time that she was boxed in, Slytherin had scored once more.

It's at this moment that my eyes went back to Potter, who clearly spotted something. Just as he started to go, his broom started acting very strangely. I looked down to where several of the first years were sitting and saw that one of his little companions, a very intelligent girl whose name slipped my mind, was exiting the fan box while his other red-headed friend stayed put, watching.

After several moments of being on the edge of our seats as to how Harry would fair, he suddenly seemed to regain control and was zooming off against the Slytherin player to catch the Snitch. I was never a huge Quidditch fan, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time as Potter and the other seeker fought back and forth for the advantage. After what appeared to be a nose dive to the ground, the Slytherin seeker had to pull up, but the first-year Potter kept on going before leveling himself nearly at ground level.

Then, the strangest thing happened…Potter stood up on his broom. I thought he had steadied himself, but just when I thought that…he fell over nearly atop on the Snitch, but no one knew for sure. All of us were literally on the edge of our seat as Potter stood up, he looked as though he were going to spill his stomach…but rather he spit out the Snitch into his hands.

"Gryffindor wins!" Madame Hooch announced as she flew into the scene.

And with that, the first Quidditch game of the season was complete.

* * *

><p>The cheers and celebration had migrated from the Quidditch pitch, but Holly and I were still lingering toward the back. We still had our duties to fulfill in the Hospital Wing, where we were sure that several Quidditch players would be awaiting treatment.<p>

"Sounds as though Gryffindor stands a chance this year," Holly said as we walked down the long stairwell.

"Ironic isn't it? The year they're splendid is when they've a first year on the team," I added.

"True, but Potter is a bit more than your average first year," She said as we reached the end of the stairs.

We continued walking, chatting casually until we reached the castle once more. It was at this moment in time that Holly realized she had to take a trip back to the common room.

"Madame Pomfrey told me to bring along my Potion's book today for some reason. I nearly forgot it," Holly told me as we turned another corridor. "Wouldn't want to further her anger toward either of us. I'll meet you there!"

"Alright!" I answered as she turned an opposite corner, sprinting off to the common room.

I continued walking and enjoyed the time alone to contemplate various school tasks that I needed to finish. Really, the silence was quite nice and passing the occasional overly excited Gryffindor member or still-bitter Slytherin student was enough to keep me entertained. It wasn't until I began walking through a completely empty corridor that I faced a…situation.

Just as I turned the corner, I saw a boy standing at the end with his arms folded over his chest. I noticed the green Quidditch robes he was wearing; I noticed how tattered they were and the various scrapes on his face as I came closer. Strange, he wouldn't move a muscle as I came closer. It was when I noticed these details that I recognized him as none other than Markus Flint.

At this moment, I started to back up…I wanted no part in this.

Unfortunately, two more Quidditch players blocked me from leaving behind me.

**A/N: Oooo, what's to happen next? Please, keep on reading and let me know what you think! I truly do appreciate all feedback. Thanks for the support thus far!**


	22. Cornered

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to J.K. Rowling. Trust me, if I did, then I'd be much wealthier.**

Chapter Twenty-Two: Cornered

"Marcus, are we really to play this game again?" I groaned, leaning against the wall as he came closer to me.

As he approached, I saw his cronies exit, one going to one end of the corridor while the other proceeded to the opposite end. I realized that this was going to be one sticky situation to get myself out of. The first time he tried something like this…it was in such a public manner that I easily weaved myself out it. This time, if I wanted to get away from Marcus Flint, then someone would have to be passing. Someone would have to be coming back from the Hospital Wing, or en route to there.

"You know the game gets a lot easier if you were to abide by the rules," He said with a nasty smirk on his face as he came closer.

"Suppose it's a game I've no interest in playing?" I asked in a dull tone.

"You see, that's why I'm here," His lips turned up into a grin that exposed his missing teeth. "To change your perspective."

"And see why are you so set on me? I'm sure there are plenty of other charming Slytherin girls who are much more enticing than myself," I drawled on, sick of having him pester me all the time.

He shrugged," You see, Lana," He placed his hand on the wall in front of me, leaning against the wall ride alongside me. "I like things that are…challenging. Things that I can't have."

"Honestly, were you dropped as a child? How socially awkward would it be if I actually accepted a date from you? My house would hate me and your house would most certainly hate you," I said, trying to pull the "star-crossed" idea…it had never worked before, but I could definitely try again.

Another smirk came to his lips," They're just jealous, love."

"Okay, really, 'love'?" I asked incredulously. "That's all I can handle…thank you very much."

Just as I walked away from the wall, he stepped right in front of me. There was a terrible odor coming from what I presumed to be his dirty Quidditch robes. I bit down hard on my lip and took a step back, away from him, but more importantly away from the stench.

"Marcus, this is absolutely ridiculous," I said aloud, folding my arms over my chest.

"You want me to leave you alone? Fine, just give me one thing…," He came even closer to me which prompted me to turn and sprint away, I hardly cared if there was a Slytherin standing at the end of the corridor just around the corner…I wanted no part of Marcus Flint.

To my demise, just as I started to run, Flint caught hold of my wrist. I glared back at him before literally growling," Let me go."

"Ohh, how intimidating," He mocked back before in one swift motion maneuvering me back against the wall. In a matter of seconds, he seemed to have had me pinned. I wondered how it was possible that no one had come down this corridor, but I had to remember the others waiting outside the corridor.

"So, I've a question," I muttered to him as he was only inches from my face. "How much did you pay them?"

He narrowed his eyes," What?"

"The 'body guards'….how much did you pay them to keep their mouths shut? Surely, you don't trust that your 'friends' from telling the rest of the house that you're attracted to a Gryffindor," I shot back at him with a roll of my eyes.

"Shut up!" He growled and with that, I found that Marcus Flint had pressed his lips violently against my own.

I was in shock for several seconds before finally trying to wriggle my way out of his grasp. It was the most disgusting, rude experience I had ever encountered with anyone! I wanted nothing more than to be out of his grasp-forever! Unfortunately, I couldn't pull myself away for his grip was far too tight.

I thought that the moment couldn't get any worse. I thought that there was no way out of this incredibly terrible situation. That didn't mean that my brain wasn't still thinking of a million ways to wriggle my way out.

Before any of them could come into action, a single voice echoing down the hallway ripped Marcus's disgusting lips from my own.

"Oy, Flint! Looks like you got a couple of 'friends' to chase down," The Scottish accent hollered as he came walking down the hall with his arms crossed over his chest.

I looked down to see the boy dressed in Quidditch robes, but not that of Slytherin's.

For the first time in my life, I was ecstatic to see Oliver Wood. Even if he was a little beaten up and battered from his fall at the game, at least he wasn't too terribly injured.

"What'd you do, Wood?" Flint growled, coming closer to Wood.

Wood shrugged," They saw me walk up and ran away snickering like they'd heard the best joke in the world. Looks like you'll have to pay 'em a bit more next time."

Marcus swore under his breath before looking back to him," It's none of your business anyways! Why don't you just get lost, eh?"

The Gryffindor quid ditch star raised a brow before looking at me. As I said before, I may not have known Wood all that well, but I think he got the message I was sending simply by the look on my face.

"I can't do that, Flint," Wood said, looking the Slytherin straight in the eye. "Seriously, don't you want to catch those guys before they-"

It was at this moment that Flint was sick of listening and actually slung back to hit Wood across the face. Quickly, Wood sidestepped out of the way and simply grabbed Flint's arm before he started twisting. How entertaining it was to listen to Flint squeal like a pig before Wood dropped his arm and demanded he leave once more. Marcus spat at Oliver's feet before turning and heading for the exit.

"Oy, don't let the door hit ya on the way out!" Oliver cried after him, touching his own arm as he approached me; this only spurred Marcus to come running back to try and hit him once more.

To my amusement, before Marcus could even lay a finger on either of us, Oliver had punched him square in the jaw. A nasty pop could be heard and with that the grimy Slytherin was scampering off once more.

I watched as Marcus called over his shoulder," This isn't over, Lana! Don't think this is over yet!"

"It is unless ya want your other jaw dislocated too, you grimy-" Oliver started, but Marcus had already run around the corner and I found it pointless to listen to his banter. I patted him gently on his arm before I spoke.

"That'll do," I said softly, looking straight at him.

He didn't have to do anything when he saw me with Marcus. I still don't know if he was truly doing it because he was concerned about me or if he was simply concerned with Marcus being near me. It was common knowledge that Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint were nemeses.

Intentions aside, it didn't mean that I wasn't still grateful for what he had done. Flint had been persistent, but never that persistent. In fact, all I wanted to do was go to the bathroom and rinse my mouth for the next few days…  
>"Thank you, Oliver," I said, nodding to him before turning and walking toward the Hospital Wing.<p>

He would not be gotten rid of that easily, however.

"Whoa, wait just a minute there, Lana," He hollered after me, running in front of me and blocking my path. "I can't walk in on a scene such as that and then receive a simple thank you. There's got to be more to the story than just that. Even Flint doesn't just do things for no reason."

I crossed my arms over my chest," Honestly, I could give you no good reason as to why Marcus Flint has been desperately trying to ask me out since I arrived at this school."

Wood narrowed his eyes," You never mentioned this before…"

I raised a brow and tilted my head," Detention or Advanced Potions isn't necessarily the most appropriate place to discuss such topics. Anyways, I do have to agree with Flint to a certain extent…it truly isn't any of your business."

"Would you have rather I let him stay and never had said anything at all?" He challenged, slightly irritated. " I can go get him, if you'd like. I'm sure he'd be pleased to see you again."

"Certainly not," I answered, seeing where he was going with this.

"Then, it looks as though it consequently became my business," Wood retorted, looking straight at me.

"Fair enough, Wood," I muttered under my breath. "I honestly always wondered if you had much outside of Quidditch."

"Ah, and what is your conclusion?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"You've a nice punch," I answered teasingly after several seconds.

"And?"

"I'm still debating the rest," I said, putting a grin on my face as I stepped around him and patted him gently on the shoulder. "In all seriousness, I need to get to the Hospital Wing. Genuinely, thank you, but I need to go now."

As I walked down the hallway, I heard his voice once more call after me," When can we talk?"

"About what?" I asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor.

"This. Marcus and you and what I walked in on," He explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Slowly, I turned to face him once again. Why was he all of a sudden so interested in all of this?

"Oliver, I don't know…detention sometime or between blowing up potions in Snape's class?" I answered, slightly joking, but his face was serious.

"You mentioned Flint to me one other time and said you'd explain it later. I'd say after seeing this, then I deserve to know something some time soon," He said seriously, still looking me straight in the eye.

I looked down at my nails, knowing there was no way out of this.

"I know," I answered meekly, looking from my cuticle to his warm, brown eyes. "It's not much of a story really-"

"Next Tuesday at Hogsmeade…are you planning on going?" He asked, interrupting me.

"I typically don't go to Hogsmeade…" I trailed off, avoiding eye contact.

"Would you make an exception? To go…with me?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky.

**A/N: Soo, any thoughts…concerns…comments? I'd love to hear them! :D**


	23. Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Hogsmeade

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. I had spent most of my Hogwarts career wanting to avoid Oliver Wood and there he stood, asking me to go to Hogsmeade with him. Strangely enough, my gut instinct wasn't to say no…in fact, it was rather the opposite.

I looked at Oliver, straight in the eye and said," I suppose I could make an exception…but right now Madame Pomfrey is probably already planning to murder me for being late so…I'll see you in detention."

He smiled," See you there."

I walked away smiling.

Wait, smiling?

I had to stop myself…this wasn't supposed to be a date. What had I just signed myself up for? After several moments of not doing anything and simply staring off into space, I took a few steps forward and continued walking to the medical wing.

* * *

><p>I tried to keep mum about the trip to Hogsmeade. In fact, I didn't tell any of my friends, but I knew I would have to eventually because all of them typically stayed at the castle during the trips and would notice if I didn't show up. Therefore, my story was that on Tuesday Professor Snape had kept me for a prolonged detention session and I wouldn't be able to see any of them.<p>

This worked on most of them, but Benjamin was the main one was a little leery.

"So, you're telling me he's keeping you from a Hogsmeade trip?" He asked as we walked toward the common room.

"Benjamin, don't act too surprised. Honestly, it's Professor Snape," I lied through my teeth, looking straight at him.

"It's just a little odd is all," He added with a simple shrug of his shoulder.

Eventually, I pulled the conversation off of the trip and onto other small talk. Holly was similar, but I was able to seamlessly cover the tracks without too much difficulty. It wasn't until Tuesday morning that the nerves kicked in as I woke up early to get ready for the trip. It took some careful walking to get myself up and ready before rushing down to the Great Hall.

Just as I ran through the doors where the gathering was ready to leave, my heart nearly stopped beating.

Benjamin and Anna were standing at the front of the group with their backs turned to me. Quickly, I tried to hide myself in the crowd and it was as soon as I hid behind a boy in Gryffindor attire that I was noticed.

"Lana?" He asked and I was paying him little attention.

"Yeah?" I answered, not even looking.

"Are you…hiding from someone?" He asked, but my eyes were still glued to the couple at the front, how had I forgot to ask if he was going?

"I-um," It was at this moment that I looked up to meet eyes with Oliver Wood. Nearly instantly, I swallowed and stood up straight. "No, not at all-"

"Lana, for some reason I don't believe that," He answered, looking at me much like a parent would their child.

I sighed and looked away as Professor McGonagall gathered the students together. There was no point in lying to him as I did the others.

"Listen, I tried to keep this down low, alright? I didn't tell any of my friends that I was coming with you and I sort of lied to Benjamin and Anna. I apologize its not fair to you really or-"

"It doesn't bother me, Lana," He interrupted strongly, looking straight at me.

I blinked several times as I studied his face," What?"

"I didn't tell anyone either. It's really just a big drama isn't it? I mean you tell people and they automatically assume your planning a wedding right? It doesn't bother me. We can avoid them best as possible," He said, smirking as we followed the back end of the crowd.

Had he really just said what I thought he did? If so, then I most certainly respected him quite a bit more.

Realizing that he had just said that due to the incredibly awkward silence that followed, I looked up at him and smiled," Well, I'm glad you think the same way I do of it."

He shrugged," It's only common sense right?"

Again, I smirked," I suppose. And its only slightly anti-social and detrimental to having friends in the first place…but-"

"We can ignore that part for now," He said, still smirking as we walked by Professor McGonagall, handing her our forms as we did so. "Plus, no one really needs friends anyways right?"

"So, friends are…overrated?" I asked, good-humouredly.

"Clearly. There are more important things in life than friends," He continued joking all the while as I shook my head at the ridiculousness of this conversation.

"Says the Quidditch-obsessed captain? If the shoe fits…"

He rolled his eyes," Okay, everyone says that, but I swear there's more to me than just that."

I raised a brow as we continued walking. About this time, we watched a group of Slytherins walk by us on the trail. At their front was none other than Marcus Flint, who was glaring terribly at the both of us. I noticed a blonde-haired boy at the end of their group; he couldn't have been any older than a first year. In fact, I believe he was a Malfoy, but I couldn't place his first name.

I was expecting some sort of a smart aleck comment, but seeing as all of them were simply glaring….it was not nearly as intimidating as it was awkward.

After they passed, I looked to Oliver with a furrowed brow," Was that supposed to be…"

"Intimidating? Because I am certainly shaking now," He joked as we both laughed whilst walking along, by this point we were already half-way to Hogsmeade.

I laughed at this," As am I."

And with that conversation with my detention mate flowed quite flawlessly. I surprised myself several times when I reminded myself that this was the one whom I couldn't stand before. This was the one who exploded our Potions experiments and nearly got both of us kicked from the class. As we walked through the shops, ate at the Three Broomsticks, and simply enjoyed conversation while all the while keeping a close eye on Anna and Benjamin who seemed to disappear midway through the trip…not that I was complaining.

Our conversation drifted back to Potions and detention that was finally coming to a close soon.

"I never liked Potions to begin with," Oliver told me as we walked through the brisk fall air, watching the others waltz from store to store.

"Then why did you opt for the second year?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He looked down clearly embarrassed," It's really just academic stuff."

I could tell by the way he instantly turned off to conversation that this was not a topic to speak of at this moment. I cleared my throat before trying to shift the conversation off of the potions class.

"We all have classes we don't like," I added before saying. "I suppose that when you're as dedicated as you are to Quidditch, then the others don't really matter much anyways. How is the Quidditch team doing?"

Even though I knew Oliver a tad better, I still knew this question was a dangerous one with him. Sure enough, I got him off the subject from before, but I apparently signed up for a long, mundane spiel about every single player and their personal attributes. I hadn't the slightest clue what any of the terms meant, but I tried to follow best as I could.

"Sorry, did I…do it again?" He asked after a lengthy talk.

"Do what?" I asked, trying to sound oblivious.

"You know what. I have a tendency to ramble about Quidditch,"He said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I swallowed before looking back to him," Only a bit, but it wasn't that intolerable."

"You're being modest," He said.

"At least I'm learning something," I said, still not directly denying or confirming his statement.

"You genuinely don't know that much about Quidditch?" He asked, his instincts coming out.

"Not particularly. I once received a broom for my birthday, but I never necessarily used it much," I answered as the day started to grow late and the Hogwarts students started gathering at the back of the village.

His jaw nearly dropped to the ground," You at least know how to fly it. Right?"

"Not well," I admitted.

In all honesty, my family's drama had distracted me from any sort of flying that I used to enjoy with my father.

He stopped walking," I'll teach you."

"I'm not asking for flying lessons, but thank you anyways," I said cordially, being completely honest with him.

He was adamant," I'm serious, Lana. It's ridiculous that you claim to not be able to fly well."

I shook my head and crossed my arms as I stared right into his brown eyes," And I'm just as serious when I say I don't have a desire to."

He sighed and I could tell that it was eating him that I didn't show any concern about this meager trait. We walked in silence for several moments before he stopped again and pointed to me," I'll make a bet with you."

I rolled my eyes," Really?"

"Really. If you get the higher test score on the next Potions test…no lessons and I won't talk about Quidditch for the next week after in class…but I get the higher score, then you learn how to fly like a Quidditch player," He offered, raising a brow at me.

I furrowed my brow as I stared back at him. Between the two of us we knew who was more skilled in the department of Potions and test-taking. I didn't mean to be arrogant, but it seemed to be a rather unfair deal on his end. Nevertheless, if it pleased him and shut him up about my lack of flying, then I certainly would take him up on it.

I offered my hand," You're on."

"Very well then," He answered.

Just after, Professor McGonagall made an announcement for all the students to gather at the front city gate. We made our way to the front and as we reached it, my heart once more nearly stopped beating as I saw who was looking at me eye-to-eye.

Benjamin.

I swallowed hard and looked at Oliver. We may have failed in camouflaging ourselves.

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, but here's your Hogsmeade chapter :D Let me know what you're thinking!**


	24. For the First Time

**Disclaimer: I own very little, as you know. Please don't sue me.**

Chapter Twenty-Four: For the First Time

I gulped again before Benjamin took a step closer, blinking slowly to try to take in the sight.

"Perhaps, it be best if I step aside? Lana, are you…alright with that?" Oliver asked me, looking right at me.

I nodded simply as he walked off and Benjamin looked me straight in the eye. I noticed Anna wasn't with him which was quite the surprise. At first, I thought it would be possible to avoid the obvious.

"Where's Anna?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't change the subject," Benjamin shot back with narrowed eyes." You and the Quidditch player, huh?"

I put up my hands," It's nothing, Benjamin. I simply came because he offered…we had some things we needed to discuss and-"

"You had things you needed to discuss with an obnoxious, intolerable Quidditch player whom you claim to not like…in fact, unless my timing is off, you should be in detention with him right about now," He said, walking closer to me as McGonagall started leading us back to the castle.

"Benjamin, look I know I lied to all of you and I feel terrible, but honestly I didn't want to make a huge deal out of nothing," I said to him, shrugging my shoulders as I did so for there truly was nothing I could do much other than be honest.

He shook his head," You lied, Lana."

"I know, Benjamin-"

He just grumbled before storming off ahead of me. Quickly, I ran after him and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to look at me," Don't tell the others, please."

He laughed at this," You want me to lie to them?"

"Please, just this once. I swear I'll be honest from here on out, but the last thing I want is a large ordeal," I said, looking right at him. "You know I don't like this type of drama and honestly…why would I go looking for it?"

He bit down hard on his lip before storming off once and for all. Rather than run after him, she just shook her head and looked away, finding that whatever he wished to do, then the would make that decision upon his own judgment. I stood, watching as he grabbed Anna's (who had been up ahead) hand and they walked chipper as can be. Moments later, I felt someone else standing beside me and looked to see that it was Oliver.

I bit the inside of my cheek," That didn't go well."

"Is he going to make your life difficult now?" Oliver asked as we slowly started walking.

I sighed," I don't know. He didn't really give me an answer."

"I suppose we can only wait and see," He said, putting a small smirk on his face.

At this moment, I returned the smirk as we walked, speaking of all sorts of topics as we did so. It wasn't until we reached the castle that we were interrupted by the sound of a younger voice calling after Oliver. Nearly instantly, he stopped to see just who it was.

"Oliver, I finally got down my dive from earlier that you taught me!" The young Gryffindor exclaimed, I believed her name to be Katie Bell. She had come from inside the castle for she was still too young to attend Hogsmeade trips.

"Really? See I knew you had it in you, Bell! I want to see it in action next week against Hufflepuff," He told her confidently.

As she stood beside us, I watched her eyes gaze over to me. She swallowed hard before putting on a smile again," Of course. Just thought I'd let you."

"I'll see you at practice tomorrow, Bell," He said, nodding to her cordially as she started to walk away, but not without waving once more to her Quidditch captain.

"Right," She said, smiling, but I noticed she looked at me as well once more before she scurried off with her other friends.

I looked at Oliver and raised a brow as we came to the Great Hall where we would disperse back to our homerooms," Good job, captain."

He shrugged his shoulders," All in a day's work, eh?"

And with that, we left "detention" to return to the common room where I knew that there would either be turmoil or tranquility.

* * *

><p>We entered into a quiet common room where surprisingly enough none of my companions were located. I let out a sigh of relief as I said good bye to Oliver and went to the dormitory to prepare for dinner that evening. All of my companions were sitting upon their beds, whispering reverently as I walked in. As soon as I did so, they shot their heads up and looked I me. I cocked a brow at them as I entered and pushed open my trunk.<p>

"How was detention?" Holly asked, looking at me with a smile on her face.

"Awful. Thanks for asking," I grumbled to her before gathering my clothing and leaving for the bathroom where I started a shower to clean up from the day.

After that short event, no one said another word about detention. There was nothing more to be said and after that Oliver and I were officially done with detention. In fact, the whole topic nearly disappeared…that was until our next Potions test.

Wood must have gotten extremely lucky for the next before the test, I had three other tests to prepare for. Seeing as I had little time to study for Potions, I made my priorities and found that my grade in Potions was worth sacrificing so that my other grades would be higher and less affected. Whenever I walked through the common room, however, I noticed him hunched over both his Potions book and notebook.

"Oliver, what exactly are you doing?" I asked him, briefly forgetting about our bet.

"I'm studying, what else?" He asked, turning to look at me. "We've a bet, you know."

"Oh, right," I said, the idea returning to my mind. "You actually mean this?"

"Of course I do! I take bets very seriously," He said, turning back to his books.

I'm sure you do, I thought to myself before turning and walking back to my dormitory to return to my own studying as I called over my shoulder.

"Happy studying!"

* * *

><p>It was the day that we received our tests back in all the classes. I had done well as I expected on most of my tests and the only one I had left to receive was Potions.<p>

I remember walking into the classroom, still happy about my other test results. Whenever I arrived, Oliver was already seated with a smile on his face.

"What're you so happy about?" I asked him dropping my books as I took a seat.

"Today is the day I win the bet," He said confidently

I rolled my eyes," You seem a little too sure of yourself."

At this moment, there was silence as Professor Snape waltzed into the classroom looking at all of us with a foul look on his face, as always. He picked up a stack of parchment as he walked to the front of his class. I expected him to comment upon how terrible we all did, but he simply began reading off names.

He ran through all of the names, my own included. As I strolled up to pick up my parchment, I was shocked to see that I hadn't done near as well as I normally do. In fact…I barely passed. I felt Snape's glare on me as he shoved the paper into my hands. It appeared as though Oliver had won this bet unless of course he failed the test.

"Oliver Wood," Snape said dryly as the Quidditch player walked up to retrieve his paper.

Nearly immediately, we all watched his celebration as he nearly danced back to his desk and slammed the paper down in front of me. I looked at it and almost instantly pressed my forehead to the desk.

He had passed with flying colors.

* * *

><p>I remember the free day like none other. I remember dreading going to the Quidditch pitch for Oliver would only gloat on his victory over me. I tried avoiding it the whole day and I knew better than to try to lie to Benjamin or anyone else about what I was doing. There was no way I was getting out of the truth, but it appeared as though I wouldn't have to worry about it much anyways seeing as he wasn't speaking to me. Holly hadn't mentioned anything either so I presumed that he hadn't said a word which baffled me slightly, but it seemed that he was too preoccupied with his girlfriend.<p>

As I walked to the practice field, I realized that I really had known how to fly…kind of. I mean, I only barely passed flying lessons first year, but…it would be interesting to say the least.

Whenever I arrived, Oliver had a large box sitting in the middle of the field and I had been to enough Quidditch games to recognize it as the box where the balls for the game were held, as well as the rest of the equipment. He was smirking as I walked on the field; I half-way glared at him as I walked to where he stood.

"You claim to be bad at Potions and ace a test?" I raised a brow at him, crossing my arms.

He shrugged," I studied for quite some time."

"This bet must have been pretty important to you," I added, seeing him adjust the two brooms at his feet.

"Well, its almost shameful that a witch claims to not be able to fly well," He added, looking over his shoulder as he stood beside a broom and waved me to come closer.

Tentatively, I stepped forward and looked down at the broomstick. Almost instantly, memories of my family came flooding into my head as I stared at the piece of over decorated wood. I remembered enough to stick my hand out over the broom.

He chuckled and I looked over to see that he was already atop of his broom and hovering above me," Since you're basically a beginner, you need to say 'up'."

"Oh, right," I muttered before holding my hand over it and saying the word loud and clear. "Up!"

When nothing happened, I glared at Wood, who simply prompted me to try again. I tried several more times and found that absolutely nothing happened. After a few moments Wood came back to the ground and dropped the one he had mounted to the ground. He, too had difficulty lifting the other broom and finally gave up on it.

"Alright, well we can make do with what we've got. Some brooms have got some major personalities-"

"Excuse me?" I asked, nearly laughing.

"What?"

"Brooms do not have personalities," I said adamantly, folding my arms over my chest.

"Oh, then you're the problem, eh?" He teased as I laughed at this. "Fair enough. I was trying to defend you, you know."

I shrugged," I can accept the fact that I'm the problem."

"Well, Little Miss Problematic, why don't you try to mount this one?" He addressed me, dropping his broom at my feet.

I stared at it for a moment before looking at him with a non-interested look on my face. He kept on smiling prompting me to raise my hand over the broom and call out," Up."

Nearly immediately the broom came up to my hand and I smiled at this," Hey, look at that."

"It only took you," He started counting on his fingers.

Quickly, I hit him, prompting him to shut up. He looked at me with widened eyes.

"That's no way to treat a Quidditch instructor, mate," He said before instructing me on what to do next. "Now, that you've successfully retrieved the broom…mount it."

He took a couple steps closer to me as I tried to emulate what I had learned my first year at Hogwarts. As soon as I was standing over the broom, I felt him adjust my hands on the broom.

"Lana, you're not trying to kill the thing. Lighten up," He said, moving my hands to the "correct" position before telling me. "Now, I'm going to be behind you, alright? You're going to be doing the flying…I'm just going to be here in case anything goes wrong."

I felt him standing behind me over the broom as he spoke more directions to me," Now, you just want to think like you're floating."

"Think like I'm-" I questioned and before I could even finish the sentence I felt the broom lifting from the ground and was so taken aback by it that I screamed and nearly fell off due to instability.

Almost instantly, Oliver placed a hand on either side of me to balance me as he chuckled," That's exactly right."

I took a deep breath in and felt his hands drop as I stabled myself. After laughing at myself for a good bit, I heard him once again giving me instructions," Now, its literally all in how you think. Wherever you wish for the broom to go…it should follow. Just be careful because at first-"

Before he could finish, I was already thinking which way I wished for it to go. As we went zooming toward the right, the broom shook wildly as Oliver yelled over the blur," It gets a little jarring! Just think about slowing-"

Before he could complete the phrase, the broom went slamming to an immediate stop, nearly throwing the both of us from it. I felt Oliver jam into me hard as I slid forward on the broom. As we readjusted, he spoke more slowly," Why don't you let me finish my phrases?"

"Sounds…like…a…..great…plan," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Now, try to ease yourself to go up and to the right," He said calmly, trying to catch his own breath.

I gathered my thoughts and let out a deep breath as I gathered my mind. Much more slowly, the broom began to lift us up and to the right. I still couldn't bring myself to look down, but to feel the gentle breeze through my hair as we slid upwards through the air. He congratulated me before continuing on.

"Aye, that's it Lana," He said as we came to a gentle stop.

"Now, let's just get comfortable going all directions," He said carefully.

I can't remember how long we spent flying around the pitch, going every which direction. In fact, I found that eventually I was actually…enjoying flying. Now, I wouldn't say those exact words to Oliver…he didn't deserve that much satisfaction yet, but it wasn't until later that the day seemed to go downhill.

Already, the sun had began to set and we both needed to get back to the ground. We were at nearly the very top of the pitch, looking down over the peaceful landscape when Oliver spoke.

"I suppose its nearly time to return to the castle. Now, to go down…let's take it nice and slow," He told me and my grip on the broom tightened slightly.

I took a deep breath in before imagining the broom traveling down toward the ground. At first, it was nearly perfect…we were going at just the right pace and I truly was enjoying the experience after I realized we would not go crashing into the ground face-first. Oliver complimented the ease of the descent and just as we were roughly one-hundred feet above the ground, there was a jerk.

"Lana?" Oliver asked as the broom came to a halt and began jerking to the left and right.

"Oliver, what's going on?" I asked tentatively, tightening my grip.

"Oy, I assume you aren't thinking like this, eh?" He asked as the broom took another wild turn.

"Yeah, I thought it be loads of fun to try and get us killed!" I yelled sarcastically as the broom nearly flipped upside down. "Oliver! How are we-"

"Lana, just stay calm, alright?" He told me with a strong, steady voice. "Listen, I'm going to grab you alright and I need you to hold on to me. For these next couple moments, just…trust me, alright?"

I could only wonder what he was planning on doing with this incredibly ridiculous and frightening moment. Not wishing to argue though, I slid myself closer to Oliver and felt his arm wrap around my midsection. I held on tight to his arms as the broom continued to swing us every which way. Looking down, we were still quite a ways above the ground and if we fell…it certainly wouldn't mean a quick trip out of the Hospital Wing.

"Oliver…" I started to ask something, but I stopped for the broom had taken a whole different course at this moment.

It was barreling toward the ground, literally trying to smash us into the ground. I squeezed Oliver's arms so tightly that I felt as though I was going to cut off circulation. That was hardly at the top of my worries for in a matter of seconds we would be gone. However, right as we were hovering just above the Games, I heard Oliver holler.

"Hold on tight, Lana!"

And just as he did so, he threw the both of us off of the side of the broomstick. My heart felt as though it would beat out of my chest as we fell through the air. It was almost as if my nightmares of falling from a broom were coming true, only this fall was not nearly as long. Through several brief moments of free fall, we found ourselves rolling wildly through the grass before coming to a complete stop.

After realizing that we had, in fact, survived, I opened my eyes and looked around. I felt that my hands were still latched on to Oliver. The position in which we landed couldn't have been more awkward. I saw that I laying directly on the Quidditch captain, looking down at him. My eyes widened slightly as he looked up at me before asking with a strained voice," Oy, you alright, Lana?"

Finding that I was closer to him than I ever had been before, I tried to move out of his personal space, but ended up misplacing my hand and actually falling closer.

"I'm fine," I said, still finding this very embarrassing and uncomfortable. "Thank you though…for the lesson and….kind of saving my life."

He laughed," Kind of?"

I shrugged as best as I could from the position I was in," Alright, alright…saving my life. You're not hurt are you?"

He winced slightly as I tried to move again," I'm sure its only bruised. I've fallen from higher than that before as you saw a couple days ago."

This was absolutely true. He tried to move up to his elbows as I readjusted once more. We had fallen at such an awkward angle that getting up without violating each other's personal space once more was nearly impossible. This time, however, was even closer than the other two.

It was at that moment that I saw the Quidditch captain for the first real time. There was something about his brown eyes and kind smile that actually made me feel horrific for ever thinking anything terrible about him before. He had just put his life on the line for me and I had hardly even given him the time of day before. There was a certain warmness growing in my stomach as I looked at him when I really should have been getting up.

I felt his hand still on my lower back and in all honesty, I can't explain how or when it happened, but our lips met. And it wasn't completely horrendous...in fact, it was nearly perfect and sent a rush through my body. For the first time, I truly appreciated the Oliver Wood not everyone seemed to know.

Nearly just as soon as our lips met, however, they were ripped apart...for we had company.

**A/N:There was a lot going on in this chapter, but I just couldn't find an appropriate place to cut it off. Any idea who found them? Please, review! I love to hear opinions and a big thanks goes out to those who have already.**


	25. Explanations Before a Trip Back Home

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own much of this stuff. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter Twenty-Five: Explanations Before a Trip Back Home

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" The dry, drawling voice of none other than Professor Snape called as he stormed onto the field, a piece of parchment in his hand.

Color rushed to my face so quickly as I literally rolled off of Oliver. I tried looking away, but the Potions professor was furious so it appeared. Off in the distance, I saw what appeared to be a student cowering behind the tower. I swallowed hard and tried to bottle my anger toward the Slytherin boy.

"Professor, we were just-um-" Oliver tried to explain, but he noticed that both the brooms that had been around had somehow disappeared.

"He was teaching me how to fly properly," I said quickly, despite the missing brooms.

Snape raised a brow," Ah, so that explains the lack of broomsticks…"

We looked around and then at one another…it did look rather suspicious. Honestly, I wanted to know where the broomsticks had gone. For some reason, I had a feeling that the scared Marcus Flint had something to do with that as he cowered behind the tower. Finding that neither of us could come up with an explanation, I started rambling trying to come up with something.

"But, the broomsticks they were-they went from there to here and-it almost crashed but it-" I tried explaining, but Oliver just shook his head and I stopped speaking, but simply looked at Professor Snape.

He scoffed before saying," Get up! Get up!"

Oliver stood up first before offering a hand to me and as we stood, Snape just stared at us for several moments, clearly disgusted before he shoved a parchment into Oliver's hands," You, Mr. Wood, as good as anyone should know that this pitch is not for anyone to come waltzing onto when there's a practice scheduled."

Oliver groaned and looked down at the piece of parchment before rolling it up and handing it back to Snape.

"There wasn't practice scheduled as of last night, Professor," Oliver said boldly.

Snape swallowed as he looked straight at the captain. Gruffly, he grabbed the piece of parchment," Practices can be scheduled at anytime Mr. Wood, as you also know."

"That's absolutely-"

"Say another word and I will be sure to report this to the headmaster," He said sharply and this quickly sent Oliver into silence.

"If it were up to me, then I'd drop you from my class immediately for being such a complete embarrassment to not only your house but your school," He snapped as he tucked the parchment into his robes and turned back to Marcus Flint.

"The field is clear now," He yelled to the lone boy as he walked onto the field.

As Oliver and I followed Professor Snape off of the field, we watched as Marcus strutted onto the field by himself. He smiled widely at me which just prompted in me rolling my eyes.

"There's only one person practicing?" Wood growled as we came off the field.

From behind us, Marcus answered the Gryffindor boy's question," Wood, don't you know by now that captain always gets to practice early?"

With that, he pointed to the rest of the team now strolling onto the field very unhappily. Out loud, Wood groaned as we continued walking off the field. I, too, was upset but I could tell that he was fuming more than I. If there was anyone that hated Flint more than myself, it was probably Oliver Wood.

"Oy, Wood!" Flint called. "Thanks for leaving out the equipment."

I looked back at the box, nearly forgetting it was sitting there. Oliver didn't even look.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Oliver and I had broken away from Professor Snape and his lecturing. We had been lucky enough to escape from any severe punishment, but as we walked in silence for awhile…I finally felt that the silence was far too much after all that had just happened.<p>

"Listen, Oliver," I started, stopping in the middle of the abandoned corridor.

"Are you about to tell me-" He started, but I cut him off.

"This needs to slow down quite a bit. That back there…it was nice, but a little-"

"Embarrassing?" He asked, chuckling slightly.

"Yeah," I said looking straight at him, blinking slowly.

He nodded in agreement before saying," Why don't we take some time to get to know one another, aye?"  
>"I would have to agree with that. I mean, look at how much we've grown to know each other in this amount of time. As of a couple weeks ago, I still didn't know much about you-"<p>

"Correction: you despised me," He said, looking straight at me.

I tried to cover it up," Not necessarily, I mean-"

"Lana," He said firmly.

I sighed before dropping my shoulders and looking at my feet. I looked back up at him and without making eye contact confessed," Alright, you weren't my favorite, but honestly…that doesn't matter now. I'm willing to put it behind me to try this…it's not like I can make any guarantees however."

He nodded," I'm not expecting anything out of you, Lana. Just honesty."

"You may not realize what precisely you're asking for," I answered meekly as he laughed.

"Really, there's nothing worse than covering up the truth," He said sincerely to which I nodded before asking my next question.

"Speaking of the truth, what exactly happened to the broomsticks out there?"

Oliver groaned before running his fingers through his hair," I think Flint tried to jinx them, but you see he's absolutely horrendous at anything magic related other than flying. I put it on him. Probably when he saw the both of us together he ran off to get a practice scheduled for the Slytherin team…when really he was just trying to be a-"

"Intolerable?" I asked, looking at him again.

"That's much nicer than what I was going to say," He added with another chuckle.

"Well, it's really pointless to say aloud something that everybody already knows," I added with a raise of my brow. "I'm sure you heard the rumors that he's not even going to graduate from Hogwarts on time at this rate. It's pitiable really."

He scrutinized my face for several moments before saying," I'd never pity Marcus Flint."

"You should. He's really missing out on quite a bit, actually," I added, even though I personally couldn't stand the boy. "I may not like him, but I do pity him."

"Each to their own," Oliver mumbled as we started walking back to the dormitory.

"Anyways, you and I are not necessarily the biggest fan of Flint…that's one thing we've got in common. I don't like to flaunt it as much as you, but that's simply a difference of personalities," I said, smiling as I did so.

He laughed at this as we walked," Some differences isn't all that terrible."

"In fact, they're desirable. I probably wouldn't be able to stand you if you were exactly like me," I added as he smirked.

"I wouldn't be able to stand me either," He joked as I rolled my eyes.

As we continued walking, talking about all sorts of different "small talk", he stopped and looked at me," So, does this mean that we're…?"

"Dating?" I raised a brow, hardly processing the word before it slipped from my mouth. "But taking it…slow."

The whole conversation was so awkward that I felt color rushing to my cheeks. Looking at Oliver, who too was laughing and blushing. I ran my fingers through my hair before glancing back at him.

"That's fine, but I'm completely alright with not making it totally obvious," He said, we were nearing the common room.

"That means…I'll go in first…just so no one gets the wrong idea," I said softly, stepping in front of the portrait.

Before I could say the word, Oliver grabbed my wrist and pulled me back toward him briefly. I looked at him with a cocked brow, wondering if he hadn't understood a word of what we had just discussed. As I came closer, he whispered," Just trust me."

And with that, he kissed me on the cheek before allowing me to walk back to the common room. I couldn't help but smile. Inside, I was wondering why this was having such an effect upon me…but there was a flutter in my heart that kept me from worrying about it too much.

From that day on, Wood and I were a "couple". We weren't exactly an average couple in the PDA department, but I believe the both of us were comfortable with that. Also, it was quite the shock when I delved the information to the rest of my companions and news got around the school that Oliver Wood actually thought about something other than Quidditch. Sure, it was the subject of jokes, but I was happy. The more time we spent together, the more we learned about one another and didn't try to rush anything too serious. In this time, I also learned more about Quidditch than I ever really wanted to know, but by the time I felt very comfortable with flying…I actually wanted to learn the basics of the sport that seemed to intrigue Oliver so much.

I remember the glares from Marcus Flint, but hardly caring too much for he hated Oliver so much that he stayed away. Honestly, one of the biggest nuisances were the Weasley twins when they discovered our relationship. I remember sitting on the couch just before Christmas break with Oliver as we finished up homework with the fire burning in front of us. All of a sudden, there was a soft laughter muffled from behind us. Nearly immediately after, I felt Oliver tap me. Just as I looked up, he pressed his lips against mine and I nearly died of embarrassment as the others came piling in.

"Oliver, what are you-" I nearly screamed, before he pointed up and shrugged his shoulders.

I looked up to see a mistletoe floating overhead. Immediately, my head shot back to see George, Fred and a group of other Gryffindors gathered around laughing at my reaction. Out of instinct, I picked up the pillow next to me and threw it at the twins as they came closer.

"You are so immature," I rolled my eyes before turning back to my work.

"And you," Fred started.

"Are so…" George continued.

"Boring!" They both yelled on either side of my face as they crept over both my shoulders from behind the couch.

I laughed at this as they dropped the mistletoe from the air and went off to prank some other people around the common room. As they dispersed, I noticed Harry Potter and his two companions walking alongside them. This whole year I hadn't said much to Potter, but knew his story just as well as anyone else and still found him to be intriguing.

In all honesty, it seemed like he and his companions were always doing _something_. I just never could place my finger on what it was.

With that aside, I actually was returning home for Christmas break that year as Oliver was to stay on campus. We enjoyed our last few days together before it was time for me to pack up and take the train back to London. Unlike when I was younger, my mother actually was waiting for me at the station. It was her turn to keep me this break…my father was busy with something else that he wouldn't tell me.

I remember walking off the train, grabbing my luggage, and walking toward her slowly. I smiled and waved at her, to which she returned the gesture. In fact, my mother looked better than she had looked in years.

Little did I know that looks could be deceiving because when I would come home…my life would change.

**A/N: Writing flirting scenes are incredibly awkward for me, but it was necessary so I hope it wasn't overly cheesy and *fingers crossed* you all enjoyed it. Please, let me know! Things are about to get DRAMATIC! :D**


	26. Dear Grandmother

**Disclaimer: I own very little :)**

Chapter Twenty-Six: Dear Grandmother

The first day or so at home was not nearly as intolerable as I remember. Unfortunately, the Flocktons were gone off on vacation that year, not that Benjamin would wish to have much to do with me anyways. Our families were at the worst they had ever been with each other and he wasn't necessarily pleased that I was dating Oliver Wood. Whenever I tried to explain that he hadn't ever talked to me about Anna before he began dating her, he acted as though it truly were all my fault.

He was a drama for a different time.

I actually enjoyed the time spent with my mother. There were no other men in the house, no disturbances to make me think that she was up to something that she shouldn't have been. In fact, I felt as though things were….normal.

That was, until I discovered she was sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to go to the cottage across the path.

It wasn't until several nights in that I heard the creaky gate slid open and I stealthily popped to the window to see just who was there. Whenever I saw that my mother was walking over the property line, I couldn't help but think that my Christmas vacation may be a little more complicated than what I was giving it credit for. Slowly, I remember grabbing my wand and tucking it into my nightshirt as I pulled open the window and slid out to follow far behind her.

Perhaps, it was not the most intelligent thing I had done…but I was stuck in the moment and wished to know what it was that my mother had been doing for all these years.

I found that she slid in through a basement window that barely peaked above the ground. Slowly and with a pounding heart, I followed after her and slithered through the window when I knew she would be far enough away and looking through the window to be sure the coast was clear. Just as I pulled through the window, I heard the front door fly open and then slam shut. Finding this strange, I felt my way through the dark until I could see what was going on.

It appeared as though some sort of meeting or ceremony was taking place.

I tucked myself back in the shadows, behind a shelf or two as I peered between the shelves. The room was filled with individuals dressed in dark robes, it took very little brainpower for me to deduce that they were Deatheaters. Then, there was my mother and Professor Quirrel, strangely enough, standing directly in the middle of the room. After several moments, my mother stepped aside as Professor Quirrel babbled helplessly about something or other.

Looking around, under the cloaks, I did recognize some of the faces. All it took was a little eavesdropping to realize that this was Draco Malfoy's parents. From what I heard, their names were Lucius and Narcissa. Both of them looked rather pale, but I certainly could tell the resemblance between them and Draco. Another name was Igor Karkaroff, whom everyone seemed to be very distraught with. Several minutes of arguing eventually led to a small, snake-like voice hissing from an unknown location. Quickly, I checked all around my feet to be sure that I wasn't missing something. My eyes widened as I saw Professor Quirrel unraveling his turban that always sat perched atop of his head.

"I know….I know….I know that I am dealing with the most unfaithful of my followers. For in all honesty, the most faithful are sitting in Azkaban prison, as we speak," The voice hissed, still I was curious as to where the voice was coming from.

It was at this moment that it took everything that was within me to keep from screaming as Professor Quirrel turned his head to reveal the face on the back of his head. I covered my mouth and simply stared at the obscure sight.

"My lord, please," Lucius Malfoy took a step forward, but the face seemed to be very agitated with this.

It was at this moment that I realized just who this face must have been.

At that moment, I wished to turn and exit and never come back. For years, I had suspected my mother of being involved with such, but to see it forming in front of my very eyes was too much for me to bear.

"Words are meaningless from you, Lucius," The Dark Lord shot back at him. " I am here to discuss the future and see if any of you truly are worthy of my forgiveness and serving me in the future for me quest to rebirth into a physical body rather than being hosted by Quirinius Quirrel."

I couldn't pull myself to leave just yet.

"This puny body that I am currently living in is my access into Hogwarts, as some of you already know. Within the walls of Hogwarts lay the Sorceror's Stone, a stone which can provide me with the Elixir of Life, a drink that not only will restore me to a physical body, but also…provide me with eternal life," He said softly, I was still in awe of how his face was moving and how he was living a parasite life off of Professor Quirrel.

I should have left.

But I stayed.

There was some odd desire within me to stay and listen to what he had to say.

At the mention of eternal life, there was a small gasp in the crowd. The Dark Lord continued to lecture over how he planned on getting through to where the Stone was hidden. It supposedly wasn't that difficult seeing as he "was" a staff at Hogwarts. No one dared say a word as the Dark Lord spoke. Even my mother, stood there in awe of him. It was when he finished his spiel that I found it may be time for me to exit.

Just as I was turning to leave, I heard the Dark Lord say something else.

"I feel another presence in this room. It appears as though we have an intruder," He spoke smoothly.

My heart rate nearly shot through the ceiling as I slowly turned to face the room of Deatheaters whose eyes were now glued in my direction. I swallowed hard.

"Please, show yourself to us," He nearly growled.

Slowly, I took a deep breath in. How hard would it have been to simply run? I knew, however, that if this truly were He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, I would stand no chance in running away. It was for this reason that I took in a deep breath, and walked into the light.

I heard my mother gasp," Lana!"

There was also a murmur that ran through the small crowd as I looked into the eyes of the Dark Lord, whose lips turned upward into a smile.

"I've been waiting for this day to arrive," He said with a smirk on his face. "Come closer, Miss Stockholm."

I dared not argue.

"Lana, why are you-" My mother gasped as the Dark Lord's eyes shot in her direction.

"DO NOT SPEAK TO HER!" He roared before turning his glance back to me.

"How are you, Lana?" He asked cordially, putting a small smile back on his face.

I wondered if this were some sort of a trick question or if he were just trying to get inside of my head. Nevertheless, I was not one to challenge the Dark Lord.

"I'm very well. And yourself?" I asked, trying to make for casual conversation.

He smiled wider," I'm just wonderful. Thank you for asking, but dear Lana, you do realize the predicament I am in, yes?"

A chill ran down my spine at his calling me "dear Lana". Fighting back the shaking, I nodded my head and said meekly," Of course."

"My dear, your time will come one day when I am in no longer need of your mother. Trust me, your time is sooner than you think. For now, I ask you to return to Hogwarts and learn as much as you can while you still have the opportunity. Pay extra close attention to the lad named Harry Potter. I want to save you for the bigger tasks that will follow," He said all of this in a very slow, dragging voice, hanging on to every word.

I couldn't have been more confused by what he had said. I had no intentions of serving the Dark Lord and if he thought that I did…then I would be sure to leave the country as soon as possible. It wasn't until I remembered the words of my father before that I started to put two and two together. He told me about some sort of burden that grandmother left with mother. Strangely enough, it sounded as though Dark Lord was alluding to this when he mentioned my mother's time being done.

"I'm sorry, but-" I still managed to say these words to question precisely what he meant.

"She doesn't know, my lord," My mother said quietly from the corner.

To hear my mother refer to him in such reverence was…irking to say the least.

His head moved to look straight at my mother. She was clearly cowering in the corner, but his voice was filled with anger and a bit of sarcasm.

"Oh, she doesn't know? Pity, really. I suppose it is always better to hear the truth from your beloved family, but seeing as they've so generously lied to you all of your life…would you like to know the truth, Lana?" He asked me, looking straight at me.

There was some sort of a grumbling from upstairs. I shot my eyes over to my mother, who looked frantic. Quickly, she spoke once more," My lord, please, we've only got so much-"

"Silence, Mary!" He shouted before looking back to me. "Lana, I haven't much time, but let me leave you with this. Your grandmother was a schoolmate of mine. A lovely girl, really. She had long, beautiful auburn hair and bright blue eyes. If there were ever a girl that I was attracted to, it was your grandmother.

"There was a barrier between us, however, seeing as she was from Gryffindor and I was from Slytherin. That didn't stop us from seeing each other, though. Our relationship was socially taboo, but we hardly cared, you see. To make an extremely long story short, I came to power just years after leaving Hogwarts and your grandmother and I were rather close still. Believe it or not, when I attained power, there were students from Hogwarts from all the houses that were leaving everything they knew to follow me. Your dear grandmother was one of them. She didn't just want to revolutionize the wizarding word with what I had to offer, but she wanted to be at the frontlines. She wanted every bit of it.

"Therefore, I made her an offer that she couldn't resist. She not only gave every bit of herself to my cause, but also…swore that every generation of her family that followed her…would give their service to me until death only to be followed by their offspring. Unlike the conniving individuals standing in this room, she showed true dedication. Dedication that eventually killed her. Let me continue to say that to this day, there has been no one….no one like your grandmother," He nearly whispered the last part.

I was simply in awe of all that he had just told me. I stood there, numb for seemingly hours as there was a louder pounding from upstairs. The Dark Lord looked at me before turning to the rest of his Deatheaters.

"I believe now is the time for you all to depart. Please, remember what I have said and realize the consequences of disobedience," He said coolly to the rest of the group before turning back to me.

"I truly do look forward to your days in my ranks, Lana," He nearly hissed in my ear before barking orders at Professor Quirrel to cover himself and get out of there.

As they disappeared from the room, I was feeling rather chilled, shocked, and most of angered. My mother seemed to be sobbing and as the pounding noise from above grew louder, I debated leaving her there. I was so infuriated with her.

Why had she not told me my fate before?

Why had she not told me that I was bound to a past decision that wasn't even my own to make?

Why had she not told me that my grandmother was a selfish woman who clearly only thought for herself?

**A/N: Originally, this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but you get a taste of the drama starting :D Hope you enjoyed! Please, review!**


	27. Leaving Once and For All

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Leaving Once and For All

"We're getting out of here, mom," I grumbled to her, hearing the noise growing louder.

Between sobs, she spoke to me," I just didn't want you to know this way…"

By the sounds of the roof above, we had very little time before whatever it was came down. Immediately, I sprinted over and literally grabbed my mother before dodging toward the exit, where all of the Deatheaters had already left through. Quickly, I pulled myself through the tiny window before turning and grabbing my mother, as well.

As we escaped and were safely out of the home, I was absolutely speechless. We tromped over to the our home, I heard her tears still pouring from her eyes.

Without speaking to her, I stormed to my room and starting re-packing all of my trunks. The news was still so fresh that I was being a little rash, but I certainly was not staying here with this devil of a woman that I was unfortunately gifted with as a mother. As I pressed all of my belongings back into their respective trunks, she kept on trying to speak to me as though she had a chance of changing my mind.

"Lana, please-" Mother tried, but I had no interest.

"Don't try to make it better," I shot at her as I tossed my blouses into the trunk.

"I certainly can't make it any worse, now can I?" She exclaimed, clearly frustrated as she crossed her arms.

"I'm getting out before anything else can happen-" I told her firmly, looking her straight in the eye as I packed the last of my clothing and slammed my trunk shut.

"You think you can run from him?" She asked me as I carried my trunk passed her, moving into the hall. "You can hide from me, Lana. You can take your trunk and go live with your father for as far as I'm concerned, but if you think for one minute that you can outsmart _him_. You're fooling yourself."

I let the silence hang for several moments as I grasped what she said. Sure, the thought was frightening, but at that moment I wished for nothing more than to leave her presence.

"You should have told me. You should have prepared me for this," I whispered harshly to her, looking her straight in the eye.

"How does a mother tell her child that she is bound to a life of servitude to the Dark Lord?" She asked me, tears coming to her eyes. "I tried getting you closer to what was going on with him, but your father was and is not supportive of that. He wanted nothing to do with me after he learned of the trade, but we made it work for you, Lana."

"You should have never had me then if you had such a deal laying on your shoulders," I shot back at her. "He didn't deserve this and neither did I."

"You don't understand the pressure I was under, Lana," She said pleadingly as I continued to the door, pulling my hood over my head as I did so.

She knew there was nothing more she could do, but she continued to babble helplessly as I forced my eyes away from her. I adjusted my grip on the end of the trunk and turned the door handle, feeling the cool breeze of the outside world blowing into the house. It seemed to fit the mood perfectly.

"Don't try to get me back. Have fun with your little boyfriends," I snipped at her before pulling my load and entering the porch.

"Lana, I'm just telling you," She called as I stormed off into the night. She yelled after me. "You're not doing yourself any good! You're hindering yourself! I haven't done anything-"

She finally stopped yelling after she knew that I wasn't turning back around. In all honesty, I didn't know exactly how I would get to my grandparent's, but for now I was going where I knew I was safe and that was at the Flockton's house. At that moment, there was absolutely no regret in my action. She knew that she had wronged both me and my father. Why would anyone try to have a family when such a curse lay upon her family?

Looking back, however, I didn't understand the severity of her bond to the Dark Lord. I certainly wasn't going to try to be reasonable, however, for I was fuming. When I arrived at the Flockton's front porch and knocked on the door, I may have taken out some of fury on the door. When Mrs. Flockton came to the door, she had this panicked look on her face like someone had attempted beating the door in.

"What in God's-oh Lord, Lana!" She immediately recognized me and cocked her head. "Dear, what's going on?"

I didn't have to say another word before she draped her arms over me," She finally-"

"Yes, Mrs. Flockton. I know," I said simply, feeling tears burn in my eyes as she squeezed me tightly.

"Dear, I'm so sorry. I can't even tell you how many times I wanted to take you out of there," She whispered in my ear as she held my head close to her, as if I was her child.

I swallowed before forcing a smile," I don't need to stay here for very long because I don't want to burden your family, but I do need to get to my grandparents."

She nodded, though I knew she was protesting on the inside," We can set you up on the Floo tomorrow morning, dear."

With that she gave me one last pat on the back before inviting me into their home. Inside, it was warm and inviting as it always had been. I noticed, however, that it was rather quiet. I looked around expecting, someone, anyone from the Flockton family to come into the main room, but no one did.

"Where is Ben?" I asked, looking around as she took my trunk from my hands.

"Oh, he is off with Anna for Christmas vacation. He wanted to meet her family and this was a perfect opportunity for them," She said simply, wringing her hands nervously together as if she sensed this was an awkward topic. "I'm going to put these in Benjamin's room. You can stay there for the night."

"Thank you, Mrs. Flockton," I said with a smile on my face as she scurried off with my trunk.

"It's my pleasure, dear!" She called over her shoulder as she dropped my luggage in a nearby room.

Within several seconds, she was back in the room letting out a sigh as she thought of something else to talk about.

"Would you like any tea or-"

"No, no I'm fine, really," I answered with a smile on my face as I took a seat on their couch.

She exhaled and took a seat across from me in one of the loveseats. After several moments of silence, she began to speak again.

"So, um, Benjamin tells me that you're dating someone at Hogwarts?" She asked with a raise of her brow.

I swallowed hard, finding this conversation may be taking another turn for awkward. I knew Mrs. Flockton, however, and knew that she was just genuinely concerned for me and cared to know about my personal life. She used to hear all about my life and now that Benjamin and I hardly speak, it must have been strange for her.

"I am, yes," I said as color came to my face.

"Well, love," She pushed, not satisfied with my answer. "Who is he?"

I chuckled at her persistence," Oliver Wood. He's the captain of the Quidditch team and a good kid. I've only just started dating him really so we're just getting to know each other."

She tilted her head and cooed like every other female," How splendid. I'm truly happy for you. Benjamin has told me that you seem satisfied so I guess I'll have to trust that. You should know that I always thought of you like my second child; therefore, if the boy ever tries anything-"

"You'll be the first to know," I finished before she could.

She smiled at this before another silence engulfed our conversation.

"So, um, how are Benjamin and Anna?" I asked quietly, knowing this would be another topic that would keep her talking.

"Oh, they're spectacular, dear. Anna is a perfectly sweet child, as I'm sure you know," She started; mentally, I had to roll my eyes, but made no outward notion of disagreement. "She is just a joy and quite a complement for Benjamin. She's intelligent, witty, and cute in her own little way."

"That's great," I said with a smile on my face. "I'm glad they're happy."

"Yes, yes so am I," She said and surprisingly enough…that was all she had to say on the manner. This shocked me slightly as she stood up to go "tend to other chores". I sat in the main room for several moments before strolling back to Benjamin's room where I was staying.

It had been quite a while since I stepped in his room. Immediately, I felt my childhood flushing back into my head. The small room was just as I remembered Benjamin. He had books upon books stacked nearly everywhere. I picked up a couple and flipped through them, allowing the old scent to fill my nostrils. Some of them I believe were there even when we were children. Apparently, his interests in decorating his room still remained low. I noticed a couple of posters on the wall of various famous wizards whom presumably did something great for witchcraft. I certainly didn't recognize them.

On his desk, there were, as expected, more books, but also more pictures. There were pictures of him as a little boy, pictures of him with his parents, and pictures of him and Anna. Many pictures of him and Anna. I picked up each of the moving pictures and watched as they spun around in various places. Good God, it looked as though they were already married. They were absolutely perfect together.

Just as I was setting down one of the pictures, I picked up an older one tucked in the corner of the desk.

A smile instantly curled on my lips for I was looking at a scene from our childhood. I was on top of Benjamin's back as he ran around in circles, proud that he could hold me on his back. The sight even made me chuckle for I remember begging him to put me down, but he never would until I was absolutely desperate. It was a fond piece of my memories that even as I sat the picture down, I wished to keep on looking at it.

Behind me, I heard a knock on the door frame.

"I brought more blankets in," Mrs. Flockton said chipper as she dropped a stack of blankets on the bed. "Benjamin complains about it being a bit drafty in here."

"Thanks," I said, nodding to her. Before she could slip out, I asked her one more question. "Mrs. Flockton, where is your husband?"

"My husband?" She asked, arching a brow before the reality of the question hit her. "Oh, yes, Mr. Flockton is out of town on a business matter."

"Oh, alright," I answered simply with a nod. "Just curious."

"Right, well, sweet dreams, Lana," She said quietly before quickly disappearing.

How strange of her to be so secretive or shocked rather that I would ask about her husband. I tried to push this aside as I made myself comfortable and tried to prepare for bed. Though rest was uneasy, I at least was able to get a couple of solid hours of sleep.

* * *

><p>Early that next morning, Mrs. Stockton woke me and had a hefty breakfast prepared. We spoke casually as we always had and it was almost normal. Other than the fact that I still had flashes of both my mother and the Dark Lord that would periodically pop into my head. I tried to repress the thoughts, but sometimes…they just slipped in and I couldn't do much about it.<p>

After several conversations and lovely moments with Mrs. Stockton, she finally prepared the Floo in their home. She explained to me that she was able to get in contact with my grandparents and father early that moment. She was sending me to one of the port towns nearby. Apparently, one of the shops had a more popular Floo destination that would ensure safe and sound travel.

"Dear, I wish you the best," She said to me as she hugged me for one last time before placing my trunk back in my hands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flockton. Do tell the rest of your family hello when you get the chance," I said simply, looking straight into her eyes.

"Of course, dear," She said with a nod before patting me on the back. "Tell your father hello for me, as well."

"I will," I said with a smile before taking a hand of the powder as I stepped into their fireplace. "Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure," She answered with a smile. "Take care."

And with that, I said the name of the village loudly as I threw down the powder. With many twists and turns and bright flashes of color, I was standing in this shop in a matter of seconds. In the transition, my trunk must have slipped from my hands for as I stumbled out of the fireplace, my luggage came tumbling after me and bumped into my legs as we came to a stop. Every time I travelled by Floo, I felt an incredible headache afterward. Of course, it was safe and all, but I just felt a little woozy and disorientated after to say the least.

"Lana?" A voice cried, and I looked to see my lanky father standing at the edge of the little shop.

Immediately, I forgot about the bag at my feet and ran to embrace him. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt his lips on my forehead as he said," I'm so glad you're here."

Seeing him in this setting was spectacular and I felt overwhelmed with a rush of emotions as he held me tight. After several seconds, I forced myself to look straight into his eyes," I'm not ever going back to her."

"Dear, you don't ever have to," He whispered in my ear, understanding that I must have discovered the secret. "We have much to discuss."

**A/N: I'm back! And ready to give you guys the rest of the story **** Let me know what you think! **


	28. The Dark Side

**Disclaimer: I own very little :)**

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Dark Side

"I shouldn't have ever let you stay there. I argued with her for a long time Lana, and… I should have-" he continued, draping his arm over my shoulder as he turned to pick up my trunk.

"It's fine Dad. I know that you can't control absolutely everything, she is my mother after all" I commented, assuring him that I was not nearly as furious with him as I was her.

"No, dear, it was just as much my fault. I don't want you to place all the blame on your mother" he said softly as we strolled out of the book shop into a quaint little town filled with, what appeared to be Muggles. I hadn't even taken time to notice if there were any in the shop with the fireplace. However, I assumed it had to be under close watch of the Wizarding World for there to be a Floo network.

"Are we entirely safe here?" I asked him under my breath as a woman with very sharp facial features passed us, looking us up and down closely. "These people don't seem-"

"There is a heavy Muggle population here, but the owners of that shop back there happen to be full-blood wizards. They arranged for the shop to be closed for your estimated time of arrival" he explained as we continued down the stone-laden paths of the quiet fishing town.

"Is it not suspicious then that we just walked out of a 'closed' store with a trunk?" I asked him, muttering under my breath.

He swallowed hard, looking around "I don't think anyone saw much."

I shrugged my shoulders as we continued through the town, chatting over various small topics, trying to blend in with the culture around us as we came to the edge of the town. The various patrons were growing few and far between as we kept to the rocky path that slid alongside the cove of the ocean. For a moment, I was able to forget about all that had happened at my mother's. For a moment, it was normal.

"Oh, I seem to have forgotten the _most_ important thing I wished to talk to you about" my father drawled as we turned along the bend of the cove.

"That is?" I asked, arching my brow.

"A boy, named Oliver Wood sent an owl to the house early this morning. Who may I ask in the world is Oliver Wood?" he demanded, looking straight at me with a small smirk on his lips.

Honestly, in all this time, my mind had not crossed Oliver Wood. However, at the mention of him, I felt heat starting to rush through my veins and onto my skin. I looked out into the sparkling water before back to my father's eyes, which were waiting for an answer.

"He's a boy" I started, pausing briefly after to gather my words.

"Clearly, I would pray no sane parents would name their daughter Oliver."

I chuckled at this before continuing," A boy who I may or may not be dating."

"Dating?!" My father asked loudly, looking at me as though I told him that I was expecting a child or something equivalent.

"For how long exactly? Good grief, I send you off to a Wizarding school and she comes back with a boyfriend!"

I took a deep breath in before placing my hand on his arm," Not very long at all, father. Please, we're really just good friends right now. It's not as though I'm planning my wedding."

"What is he like? What is he involved in? Does he-" he began to streamline question after question while I simply stood there, speechless.

"Father, he is Captain of the Quidditch team and in my Potions class," I said simply. "He's a very nice boy and I would hope that since you cannot meet him anytime soon, that you will trust my judgment."

I felt the heavy weight of silence bearing down upon us as we strolled along.

"He sounds like it" He commented slyly, trying to brush this little phrase over as if it were nothing.

"He sounds like it? Why, do you already trust me?" I asked, taken aback.

"Oh no, from the letter-" he looked at me with wide eyes, knowing he wasn't supposed to share that information.

Playfully, and with slight irritation I hit him on the arm, unable to believe that he opened a letter addressed to me. For a moment, I believed him wholeheartedly. He was completely believable with the guilty look on his face. After several moments, he started laughing at my reaction and shook his head, breaking his cover.

"You expect so little of me" he commented between laughs. "I would never stoop so low Lana."

"I wouldn't put anything past you," I scoffed, laughing after as we came upon another rolling hill.

As we started our ascend, laughing all the way, it seemed as though a thought finally came to my father's head when we were roughly half-way up. He looked around to see that all of the locals were out of sight.

"Why don't we finish this conversation at grandmothers?" He offered his hand to me, still smirking.

I rolled my eyes before placing my hand in his, "Fair enough."

We took several steps more before the process began and the constant pressure swooshed around us as we literally travelled through the air. The pinching and pulling never entirely stopped unnerving me. Even though I had done this numerous times with my parents, I never felt entirely safe. I heard once that there have been cases of injuries from apparition, but I tried to push these from my head until we were standing in front of the small cottage-style establishment known as my grandparents called home.

Upon seeing the ivy-covered house, I felt a warmness swelling up in my heart.

* * *

><p>The homecoming was like none other. In fact, I was fairly set on the idea that my grandmother wasn't letting me out of her sight anytime soon. My grandfather was equally as excited and held me tight in his embrace for longer than necessary. Of course, I was ecstatic to see all of them, but I also enjoyed breathing. Both of them showered me with greetings, questions, and compliments just like any other family does upon seeing each other again.<p>

They took my trunk from me and instantly flew off to drop it off in my room. I stayed in the kitchen as my father started rummaging through the cabinets for a kettle.

"Your letter is on the table. That owl has been waiting anxiously," he mentioned to me as he continued to muster through the cupboards.

"Alright" I said with a smirk, looking over to see the envelope and a brown owl with large yellow eyes peering in from the open window. Just as I took the envelope in my hands and took a seat, the bird hopped over the window to perch itself inside the house, excited to finally see some progress.

It seemed to be such a long time since I had spoken to Oliver, that this was an exciting event to say the least. Just as I was opening it, the thought occurred to me that at some point he was going to have to know about all of this. For that split second, I heard the dark, chilling voice of the Dark Lord spilling into my ears from that night. The sensation sent shivers down my spine and caused me to jump in my seat. My father heard the squeak of the chair and immediately looked up at me from behind his crooked glasses, the tea pot in his hand.

"Lana?" he asked, concerned.

I straightened myself in my chair and cleared my throat, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked, standing up straight to fill the pot with water.

"Really, "I looked straight into his eyes and smiled, assuring him nothing was wrong.

He held my gaze before nodding to me and focusing his attention back on the tea. I, in turn, looked at the envelope and tore it open.

_Lana,_

_I hope that you are doing well. It's been a nice, peaceful break here at the castle. If you can believe it, I have done nothing Quidditch related for nearly three days. I thought that you'd be proud that I've managed to think of something else. Oh, and also I hope you receive the present I've sent you, sometimes this wretched owl can be a little reckless. Do write back soon._

_Oliver_

I smiled at this short and sweet note. He certainly wasn't much of a writer, but the fact that he thought of me was touching. My heart dropped though when I looked over at the owl and noticed a small package attached. At the attention, the bird hopped over to the table and offered its leg to me. My heart dropped because he had taken the time to send me something for Christmas while I had neglected to get him anything. I opened the package to see a delicate, silver chained necklace with a sparkling red gem in the middle, it was beautiful. As I lifted the necklace out of the package it glistened in the sunlight, by this time my father was finishing the tea and came over to sit opposite of me. He noticed the necklace as I rested it on the table top.

"Really bird?" He groaned before shooing the owl out; it croaked as it did, before reluctantly flying out. Quickly, my father shut the windows. For a winter day, it was rather mild, strangely enough, and the sun was peeping from behind the clouds. He explained that he only needed to open the window to clear the air of something he had burned earlier. With the nuisance gone, he took a seat opposite of me and placed a white tea cup and saucer in front of me.

"So, Oliver Wood?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Honestly, how did you know that if you hadn't opened it?" I asked, looking straight at him.

"I may have peaked at it, but not for long" he muttered, pulling his cup to his mouth.

"Father!"

"It shouldn't matter right now Lana. In fact, I wasn't trying to be invasive; I was more concerned for other reasons… Why else would you be getting a package from a…peculiar owl?" His eyes narrowed as he glared at the little owl, still perched outside the window.

I swallowed hard and realized he must have been a little wary. Of course, he had let me go off and stay with my mother. Anything could have happened. It was at this time he looked over to the door leading to the rest of the house and pulled out his wand from inside his pocket. With a flick of his wrist, the door was closed as he dropped the wand on the table.

"You saw something with mother, didn't you?" He asked me, running his fingers through his hair.

I swallowed hard, "I was being nosey. I shouldn't have followed her."

He groaned again, "She clearly didn't hide herself well enough if you saw her in the first place."

"I was asking for trouble, father. I knew that-"

"But you shouldn't have to tolerate a mother involved in such atrocities!" He cried, shaking his head as he pulled off his glasses. "Those people who she associates with are…abominations."

There was another heavy sinking silence. We both avoided eye contact and knew that there needed to be more of an explanation than just that. Everything needed to be explained once and for all because clearly I couldn't be kept in the dark anymore.

"I saw him" I whispered hoarsely, wrapping my arms over one another.

My father slowly lifted his head and met my eyes," Please tell me you're not referring to…"

"The Dark Lord?" I asked, looking deep into his eyes. "I saw him. Well, on the back of Professor Quirrell's head that is."

"Good God" he swore, shaking his head and propping it on his hand. "You want to know? You want to know why? Why she was there?"

"I know why. Because of grandmother. Her mother" I said simply.

"He told you?" Father demanded.

"Yes, they explained that part to me, but I have other questions," I said somberly, looking at the tiles of the kitchen.

"Why I married her?" he asked, not to me, but rather to himself. He was looking all around the room, as if pondering his own life rather than mine. "Why I married a woman who was doomed to this?"

I said nothing, but merely sat there. There was nothing that I felt was appropriate to say. He seemed to be slowly breaking down emotionally.

"Lana, I never wanted to have to put you through this. I wished for you to be far away from all this. However, I was not told that she was bound to the Dark Lord until after we were married. Dear, you must know that I love you very much, but I never wanted children after hearing this. Conversely, _he_ already claimed power over us. He threatened to kill both of us should we not further the lineage. You see, we were selfish, and young. I prayed many prayers to have a boy; I knew the covenant that your grandmother made. I'm sorry that you have had to be placed with this burden" he nearly whispered the last part to me. "I know, however, that everything happens for a reason and I'm trying to figure out a way that you can avoid the trend."

"Of committing myself to the Dark Lord you mean? It's going to be a while before that happens anyway, right? I mean, it's only after mother dies and she won't be passing away for a long time," I mentioned, trying to think logically of how that would work.

"If only it worked that way. Dear, it's not entirely passed on when you're mother is killed. It's more… when the Dark Lord wants you. Age isn't a necessity. If he's done with mother, then…"

"He'll do what he needs to get rid of her?" I asked, looking right at him.

"Yes Lana," he answered simply. "But as long as you're here or at Hogwarts, you are safe. I don't want you to be worrying until you have to."

I smiled at this and broke his gaze, "Of course."

He was trying desperately not to tell me too much, I could tell. And even now, as I reflected back, he told me quite a bit more than he could have. It wouldn't be for many more years that I would know the whole story, but for that evening I had heard as much as I could take. There wasn't much else that I desired to know, but I simply sipped my tea and tried to swallow the darkness I had been told. My father then proceeded to pick up the necklace and tease me more about it. He even clasped it around my neck for me. I told him about Oliver and how I hadn't gotten him anything. He quickly offered to take me into town the next day.

Strangely enough, I don't entirely remember what I got Oliver, but it was something Quidditch-related. In fact, I remember him loving it, but I wasn't entirely sure of it myself. The rest of my trip at my grandparents' was relatively pleasant and we were able to be happy, despite the circumstances of my return. Over the next few years, courts of the Wizarding law would deem my mother unfit to take care of me or even be in my presence. It was for that reason that I went many years without even seeing her. In those same years, she was assisting the Dark Lord in returning to power, that is what I would later find out.

However, before I get ahead of myself, there is still much of a story to be told in those in-between years. The years when I didn't see my mother were some of the happiest of my life.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! :) Please let me know what you think. Special thanks goes to littlegreeneyes for proofreading this chapter. Great job!**


	29. Forecast for the Future

**Disclaimer: I own very little **

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Forecast for the Future

"Oliver, really I haven't any opinion on the matter. You've told me time and time again that you think we've the advantage over Hufflepuff, however, I don't know. I honestly haven't an opinion. Unless you want me to just say that we'll win and shut you up?" I whispered harshly to him as we rushed through the hallways. The first day back in classes after Christmas break was quite refreshing, because a felt safer at school than at home, and it was the beginning of a new year.

He chuckled at this as we turned another corner," Please do."

"You're going to win. You haven't anything to worry about" I said, looking straight into his brown eyes for a brief moment before looking ahead. We were probably going to be late no thanks to him.

"I wish you meant that" he said partially serious as we came to the door for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He grabbed the door for me as I strolled into the class, seconds away from being late. He slid in after me and instantly flew off to his desk in the back. I walked to the front, swallowing hard as I looked around at everyone else already seated.

I tried to avoid _his_ eye. As I sat down, it hit me who was really in this room with me. I felt another chill running down my spine as I pulled open my book and turned it to the page number written on the board. I could feel Professor Quirrell's eye on me, but I avoided it for as long as I possibly could. It wasn't long before he was standing in front of me with a weak smile on his thin lips.

"H-h-have a good break, Lana?" He asked, his lip quivering as he did.

I looked at my desk, picking at my nails before looking up at him," Yes Sir. Did you as well?"

"O-of course, Miss Stockholm," He stuttered, folding his arms over his chest. "H-h-h-how is your m-m-mother doing?"

I almost didn't say anything. I just sat there in silence and refused to answer the question, but I leaned back in my chair and looked at the ground as I answered his question, "Fine."

"Ah. Good." He said with a smile on his face once more as he turned to his blackboard to begin his class.

I nearly sighed out of relief, but held it in. He hadn't a clue how difficult it was to speak to him. Or rather, perhaps he did. Maybe that was his reasoning for even acknowledging me. I bit down hard on my lip and flipped through the pages of my book, trying to find something to focus on. For the whole of the lesson, I wasn't paying attention at all. I was far too distracted by who he really was and what lay behind that tall turban of his.

It was for this reason that when he called on me to answer a question, I was entirely caught off guard.

"Ah, Miss Stockholm, would you mind t-t-t-telling us what the blood of a unicorn does?" He asked, stopping right in front of my desk with his hands folded together.

I swallowed hard, coming out of my daze, "Unicorns? That seems to be irrelevant to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The class began to chuckle slightly at this as I tried to search my memories for how a unicorn would relate to the topic at hand. Seeing as I had no idea what the topic was either, I was basically out of luck. I looked around frantically trying to find someone to provide an explanation or reason for why we were suddenly speaking of unicorns.

"Miss Stockholm, h-h-have you heard a-a-any of my lecture today?" He asked, still with a slight stutter, but not nearly as broken as it normally was.

"Uh-"

"We are t-t-talking about the creatures that lie within f-f-forests. It is our special unit of the s-s-semester in which we s-s-speak of something other than casting spells against dark m-m-magic. I've given a lot of information today, but it seems as though you've f-f-f-failed to take note of anything. For the r-r-r-record, a unicorn is not classified as a dark creature, however, the b-b-b-blood of a unicorn, when drank, can bring a dark, c-c-c-cursed life upon an individual. In fact, it isn't much of a life at all. P-p-probably smart to write that down," He stated to me before pulling his cape around him and strolling to the other side of the class continuing with his lecture.

I furrowed my brow for a moment, wondering why he was taking time to call me out directly, but I tried to put it aside and made a special note of it on my paper.

In a matter of seconds, the bell was ringing to signal the end of class. Almost immediately, I pulled myself out of my chair and tucked my hair behind my ear, embarrassed at what had just happened. As I was leaving, Oliver met up with me in the back of the class; his books tucked under his arm.

"What was that about, eh?" He asked, teasingly elbowing me.

I rolled my eyes, "I, uh, just wasn't paying attention. You know Defense Against the Darks Arts isn't always the most entertaining class."

"_I_ know, but _you_? Not paying attention in class? That's madness, Lana," He commented as we exited the class, laughing much more than me.

I could have told him the real reason why I wasn't paying attention, but it didn't seem appropriate for this moment. No, that would be for a much later time.

"Well, remember it because it may not happen again for a while" I said finally.

For the rest of my fourth year, I enjoyed the company of my friends and those around me. Life in the Gryffindor house was relatively natural and did not consist of a lot of drama. The Quidditch season was successful, which put Oliver in a better mood, and by the end of the year, Harry Potter was a star in both Quidditch and wizardry itself. All of the stories we had heard of him were true when we discovered it was he who was able to defeat Lord Voldemort who had taken residence in Professor Quirrell. Of course, I also discovered this later from other sources, but Harry was deemed a hero for protecting our school from evil. He was, indeed, the 'Boy Who Lived' and also a boy who I owed a lot to. He obviously has a larger debt to settle with the Dark Lord, but in protecting the Sorcerer's Stone and keeping Quirrell from using it, he also protected me from having to deal with the Dark Lord at a much younger age than what I should have.

During that summer, I was able to split my time between my grandparents and with Oliver's family. Just as any other relationship at this age went, it was more about being friends than much of anything else. Oliver and I couldn't have had more different interests, but somehow we offset one another. Over the course of that summer, I learned all there was to know about Quidditch and how disgusting Marcus Flint was off of his broomstick, as well. Though the second, I had developed much of myself. Not only did Oliver teach me about Quidditch and I mastered the art of flying (well, perhaps not mastered, but I came rather close to being able to hold my own), but I was able to teach him a little more about Potions. Of course, he found the subject to be slightly more interesting than before, but his opinion of it was the same as my opinion of Quidditch in that it was not my 'cup of tea', so to say.

Also in this time, it was inevitable that I had to tell Oliver a little bit about my family. I simply left the details at my parents' divorce, but he at least knew that all was not well in the Stockholm family. At this point in time, to tell him anymore would have been foolish on my part. His family, on the other hand, was spectacular and certainly a place I felt comfortable in.

Both his mother and father had attended Hogwarts around the same time as my parents. They only had heard of each other really, neither had been very close to the other.

Oliver's father was precisely how I imagined him to be. He was equally, if not more, obsessed with Quidditch than his son was. The tall, lanky man with dark brown hair, and seemed to be the only person who could talk about it for the longest time. He was interesting, however I found that his wife was much more relaxed. Oliver's mother was very short with warm chestnut-colored eyes that invited you into conversation with her. Her hair was cut short, but styled very sleekly. Though opposites from appearance, the both of them certainly shared a thick Scottish accent.

Their home was a cozy little place that had a lake right behind it. I spent many nights and days sitting on its shore, watching the sun reflect off of the sparkling water. How nice it felt to have the warmth of the sun beaming down on me while my feet soaked in the cool, glimmering water. Sometimes, I would sit there alone to think, but at other times I found myself surrounded by one member of the Wood family. While sitting there, it was easy to forget about everything else going on at home. In fact, those memories were so distant from me at the time that I hardly considered them a part of me.

"So, Lana, I have to ask you this..." Mrs Wood commented as she sat beside me, it was one of the bright sunny days when sat next to the lake. "What exactly made you want to spend time with Oliver?"

I smiled as he and his father flew overhead on their broomsticks, throwing back and forth a quaffle, chatting just as we were, "I volunteer in the hospital wing, and I saw quite a bit of him there. Also, he was in my Potions class and I had to-"

"Help him out?" She asked, raising one of her brows and nudging me slightly. "Dear, I may be his mother, but I can say he isn't the most gifted child when it comes to schoolwork. Trust me, we've had this conversation many times."

I chuckled at this, "I only helped him a bit."

"Ah, modesty," She teased, rearing her head back to laugh more. "What a gem you are."

"I also have a lot of respect for your son. He's helped me out of some awkward situations with another boy at Hogwarts. I owe him a lot for that," I added, folding my arms over my chest.

"Aye, what exactly are you talkin' about? Surely, it's not the Marcus Flint, eh?" She asked, looking straight at me.

I broke her eye contact and focused on the shimmering water, "Let's just say, Flint and I don't have a pristine history."

"Well, dear, our families don't necessarily get along either. Believe it or not before Oliver and you began 'dating', Oliver told us all about Flint pestering you, seemed to have bothered him a lot. Doesn't surprise me that he protected you. He and Flint would probably go at each other's throats if it weren't looked down upon socially."

I laughed aloud at this comment before shaking my head in disbelief of what she had just said, "He's a good guy."

She bit down on her lip as she looked up, watching as he took a nose dive toward the lake on his broom, pulling up just before he splashed into the water, "You're such a lovely girl Lana. I want you to know that you can talk to me, or any of us about anything. I hope you will find us as people to confide in… especially with your mum and dad going through a split. That's what I really came out here to tell you."

At this point, I could feel my heart telling me to say _something_. It was certainly the opportune moment for something profound or meaningful to come out, but all I did was nod my head in understandment. If there was any moment I would have done over in my life, it was this moment. It was while that I was sitting next to Mrs. Wood when she poured her heart out to me.

"Thank you, Mrs Wood" I answered with a small smile on my face.

She nodded to me before pushing herself up from the ground, "Well dear, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but tomorrow we've got to get school supplies. Your fifth year at Hogwarts will be starting soon."

* * *

><p>Just after we had finished gathering our textbooks for the year, I found my hand being interwoven with Oliver's as he drifted toward the Quality Quidditch Supplies store. Mentally, I may have been protesting, but there certainly was no way that I would argue this time. He had already had to listen to me nearly drool over all the new Potions books available this year.<p>

"Nimbus 2001," Oliver commented with a sigh as we strolled into the front door of the store. "She's a beauty."

I chuckled at this, trying to stifle it under my breath, but he looked at me with a raised brow," You find something humorous, Miss Stockholm?"

"No, no of course not. Don't mind me," I spluttered, trying to hold in my laughs at his stereotypical interests, but failing miserably. "She's a beauty?"

He nudged my shoulder playfully before shaking his head," You don't understand, you see-"

"Oliver!" A younger girl's voice called from a couple of aisles down.

The dark haired girl I recognized to be Katie Bell came strolling down the aisles of the store, seemingly thrilled to be in the presence of her Quidditch Captain. Oliver smiled as she came closer and looked her straight in the eye, "Katie. How are you? Have you been practicing over the summer. I presume you have?"

"Oliver, that's not the first question you ask someone for crying out-" I started to protest, but she immediately shook her head, objecting.

"Oh, no, Lana. I really have been playing Quidditch…lots and lots of it. I've gotten pretty good if I do say so myself. You've been playing too, right Wood?" She asked, her eyes wide with interest at the sight of him.

I found myself to be a little out of place in this conversation. It was for this reason that I squeezed Oliver's hand to notion that I was going to step away. He looked at me briefly, nodding that he understood before I slid my hand out and began to wander the aisles of the store. There were many, many aisles to wander, as well. There were Quaffles, snitches, beater's bats, bludgers, and various sorts of robes. It truly was a wonder how much I had learned in one summer spent with the Woods.

As I wandered about minding my own business, I didn't realise that there was someone else I knew in the store as well.

"Oy, you're from Hogwarts, right?" A white-blonde headed kid chiped in several seconds after I picked up one of the specialty snitches from its box.

Slowly, I placed the box down before meeting the kid's bright blue eyes," Yes, I am."

"Lana? Lana Stockholm?" He asked, raising a brow.

From the tone of his voice, I could tell this child was spoiled. Though he wore no green, Slytherin didn't seem to seep from his skin at all. His bright blue eyes and white-blonde hair should have given away his identity, but I did not immediately make the connection.

"Yes, and you-?"

"Draco Malfoy," He spat out, taking several steps closer to me. "Surely, we've met before."

"Perhaps, but-"

"Draco!" A voice cried, much deeper than the others in the store. It took several moments, however, a tall, slender man turned the corner. His hair was long and the same shade as Draco's, leaving me to believe it could be none other than Mr Malfoy. I couldn't help but find him to be extremely familiar from somewhere, but his presence and the piercing blue eyes of his was enough to make me feel uneasy. When he swiftly turned the corner, with his cane that had an embellished snake head was held in front of him. His eyes settled directly on me, sending an uneasiness over me.

"Why, what do we have here?" He drawled in a dry, monotone voice, taking several steps toward me. "Surely, not Miss Lana Stockholm."

"Mr. Malfoy, I assume?" I asked, raising a brow as he came closer yet.

"Oh yes, of course. We have met before, but I find it strange. Your mother has been wishing to see you for quite some time now. Surely, you have contacted her, "He asked, trying to sound concerned, but I took it more for sarcasm.

My gaze shifted to the ground, "I have not."

He gasped, as if truly shocked, "I know if Draco were to run away, then I would like to know where he was."

"Surely, you understand the situation well enough, Mr. Malfoy to know that I did not run away. I was taken away by the ministry. Now, as lovely as it has been to speak with you, I must be getting back to-"

I was only turning to leave when I felt his long, thin, bony hand grab my arm to force me to listen to him. Immediately, he pulled me closer to him so that he was nearly whispering right into my ear, "If you think that hiding behind others is the way to keep you safe-"

"Lana?" Oliver's voice came from the end of the aisle.

Malfoy's eyes glanced up for a moment to see Wood standing at the edge of the aisle, but he kept his grip firm and whispered harshly, "You're a fool. He's going to be coming for you any day, Miss Stockholm."

As soon as he was done, he let go of my arm with a shove, pulled his cape tightly around him before beckoning for his son to follow. I was left standing there only with the chills running down my back from the words he had just spoken.

**A/N: Thanks for the feedback and for reading! Another thanks to littlegreeneyes for proofreading **


	30. Opening Up and then Closing Down

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Thirty: Opening Up then Closing Down

"What's going on?" Oliver asked, coming around the corner and nearly running in to Mr. Malfoy in the process. "Was he…was he speaking to you Lana, or was that just someone else?"

I swallowed hard before wrapping my arms over my chest, "It's nothing, really. He was just being….well, you know, a Malfoy."

I tried to smirk and smile my way out of this, but I could feel Oliver's eyes boring into me. It was almost as though he could sense that I was hiding something from him, but I still didn't find this to be an appropriate time to tell him anything. In fact, I went through the rest of my career at Hogwarts avoiding this conversation with Oliver. And I would like to say that our relationship wasn't going anywhere in the first place, therefore it wasn't an issue; however, it was the opposite. The truth of the matter was that I was falling in love with him. Every year that passed, we would spend more and more time together and feel as though it were natural. One summer, my father even travelled with me to the Wood's residence and they were so naturally driven into conversation with one another that he ended up enjoying their company almost more than I did.

And there were several times each year that I would have to cover up something. Draco Malfoy would come running up to me and making snarky little comments and I would find myself coming up with equally witty remarks to cover myself.

Did I feel guilty for keeping my family's problems a secret?

Of course.

Did it bother me enough to do something more about it?

Well, not at first.

Year, after year I was more focused on getting through school itself. In fact, I think this is what everyone wanted me to do. My father certainly didn't want me to think about what could be going on with my mother, since she was too absorbed in other things, Oliver was nearly clueless, but for all I know Lord Voldemort seemed to be pleased with what I was doing. I say this only because for those eight years while I was at Hogwarts his influence upon me was only as much as I gave him. If I thought more about him, then it would be a victory for him, but there were other issues at this time that the Dark Lord was dealing with.

Everyone seemed to be raging over Harry Potter being the savior of the school after the Chamber of Secrets incident in my fifth year. He proved to be very brave and the rumors of what actually happened in the Chamber are still swirling about, but I have no doubt that Lord Voldemort was minutes away from being brought back to life in that chamber. At the time, I would have thought it was someone just playing a silly trick, but later conversations told me otherwise.

It was during this year that it was hardest to not say anything to Oliver. The conversation definitely was getting around the castle about Salzar Slytherin and who could possibly be behind the attacks. Of course, he was only conversing with me in a manner that was common gossip. However, I still couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, even when I didn't know the entire situation. I may have nodded my head and gone along with whatever theory the Quidditch Captain came up with, but there was a year coming when we would have a serious conversation about that sort of subject.

I remember the day like none other.

All of this happiness that we had built together seemed to be so much stronger than anything I would have been able to reveal about myself. It was for this reason that I felt so at ease and for that split second; I let my guard down.

It was the summer before my sixth year and the year before Oliver's last. We were sitting next the lake at his; the sky was not clear, but spotted with several clouds. Still, it was a beautiful day. We sat next to the lake, watching as his father was playing some sort of training routine on his broomstick. My fingers were interlaced with his as we went over our supplies lists one last time for the next school year.

"One more year at a Quidditch cup." He said under his breath as he leaned back, resting on his elbows as the clouds overhead passed by without a care.

"Surely you'll obtain it this year" I said with a smirk, folding over the parchment with all of our supplies on it.

"Potter will really need to step up too. We could be completely solid if he were just one hundred percent focused. It's hard for him though, I understand. All that with his parents and whatnot" He added looking up at the sky with a sigh.

"He really does have a lot going on. I can't imagine how you would deal with both parents being...well, you know…dead," I added, tenderly saying the last part. The next piece I didn't entirely mean to say, but I watched as his mother came from the little house and called out to his father. Almost immediately, the man flew down to meet his wife. "You're blessed to have such a lovely family Oliver."

I could feel his gaze on me as I watched his father kiss his mother on the cheek, "You have a great father... I think you should consider that a blessing." Muttered Oliver

I swallowed hard, trying not to think about my mother, but his parents were walking back into the house to do something. They were out of earshot, yet still within sight. I couldn't help but watch them and think of my mother. Perhaps, at one time they were like Oliver's parents, that had been quite some time ago.

"He is great. My mother on the other hand…" I trailed off, looking down to pick at my nails, realizing that I had said more than I intended.

He leaned up from his elbows to meet my gaze, face-to-face, "You know, you never have exactly told me about her. I've never even met her. We've been dating for quite a while and I've never met your mother before."

He meant nothing by it and it was genuine curiosity, on his part.

"You wouldn't want to Oliver. That's the short story. In fact, I myself haven't seen her for a while, she is probably living her life however it pleases her. She is no longer my worry." I said to him, trying to stay vague for as long as I could.

"Surely you are concerned for her. She is your mother after all" He said meekly, trying to get a little more out of me.

"Yes, but-"

I couldn't find the right words because what Oliver said was absolutely true, but I couldn't tell him everything…could I?

This internal conflict went back and forth many times before I came to the conclusion that I owed him something. Every summer I came to his house with my father, but not with a mother. I never even mentioned her. It was natural that he would want to know really.

"Oliver, there are some very, very serious topics related to my mother. If I tell you, then you mustn't tell anyone else. It truly is a deep secret that hardly anyone out of my family knows about" I said quietly, avoiding his eye as I felt his hand on top of mine.

He didn't say anything, but I reluctantly turned my head to meet his brown eyes for just a moment before I let out a sigh and starting speaking, realizing that he needn't say any more.

"My mother is…estranged to say the least. To keep from telling you an extremely long and dark story, I will sum it up in as few as I can. She is currently what you and I would consider a…"

I couldn't say the word. It physically would not leave my lips. I bit down hard on my lip before turning to look straight into his eye once more, "She's a Deatheater Oliver."

He stared into my eyes for several seconds, blinking slowly as he swallowed hard, trying to digest the information. It seemed that he immediately realized why I had never mentioned my mother before. He nodded his head slowly, trying not to show much of a reaction.

"But she didn't have a say in it, you see. I-I just don't even know how to tell you everything. You probably are going to be in complete and total shock." I said slowly, trying to process my own words, but finding there to be no easy way of saying it.

"You can tell me anything Lana." He whispered, placing his hand top of mine.

I was silent for several seconds, waiting for this moment to feel right, but I finally realized that it would just have to come out.

"My grandma was friends with a boy named Tom when she was in school. I don't know if she realized that when she was falling in love with him that he would someday become the world's most feared wizard. I don't think she knew that the man she loved for a while would turn out to be He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. She never would have known that his name would make even the greatest of wizards stumble.

"But the truth of the matter is that…she did. She fell in love with the boy who would become the Dark Lord and besides who's to deny what the heart wants? It doesn't mean that I'm not furious with her, but apparently she loved him enough to convince my mother to join him. Now, my mother has split from my father to make up for my grandmother and me…well, I'm just trying to avoid it all, I guess."

He had absolutely nothing to say back to that.

And, honestly who could blame him?

He ran his fingers through his hair, "Could you give me a moment? That was quite a lot."

"In all fairness, I did warn you."

"That you did," He answered before swallowing hard again and looking up at the sky. "So, you're telling me that your mother is a Death Eater? Correct?"

"Yes." I answered simply.

"Your grandmother was in love with You-Know-Who?" He said the words slowly as if they were paining him to come out.

"Yes."

"But you aren't in any way involved with this?" He asked, turning his eyes to me for a brief moment. "Right? This is just their battle to fight and you are just avoiding it?"

This is where I wanted to crawl into a hole and not bother with any of it. If I told him yes, then I risked losing him. I should have known that he would have rather been told than lied to, but I couldn't master up any more courage to tell him the whole truth. If there were any moment in my life that I could live over, it would have been this one.

"No," I said shortly. "I'm staying out of it."

"Good. Then, if you are not comfortable speaking of your mother, then we shan't speak of her. However, if you ever want to-"

He was opening the door for me to chip in and say more.

"No, I truly don't." I said finally, trying to put an end to the conversation instantly.

The look he gave me told me that he was still a little suspicious about all of this, but he didn't have the words to respond. I watched as he stood up and smoothed out his clothes. He took a couple steps back and said to me, "I'm going to go for a little walk. Alone, if you don't mind."

I bit down on my lip and nodded, "Of course, it was a lot to process."

With that, he walked away and I knew that I couldn't do this to him. I couldn't afford to put him through any of my trouble. As he turned to go on his walk, I knew that he was mentally walking away. Or rather, I was mentally pushing him away. In reality, I don't think that Oliver ever meant to seem that way, but I gave him that impression in my head. I overthought everything and as I watched him walk away, I starting planning how I would end my relationship with Oliver before either of us got hurt.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and shout out to littlegreeneyes for proofreading! Let me know what you think **


	31. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

Chapter Thirty-One: The Beginning of the End

Despite my feelings of separation growing within me, I still pursued a relationship with Oliver for the rest of my days at Hogwarts. Year after year, we were still the couple that did nearly everything together. After all that time, I truly loved Oliver. However, I knew that my future would be very different from his. Year by year, the Dark Lord was growing stronger and stronger; I was not blind to this, but I wanted to try to have a normal life while I could and that meant continuing my relationship with him.

With the passing years, not only were we growing, but Harry Potter was also becoming more and more famous. His accomplishments in the Chamber of Secrets, his taming of the hypogriff, and when it came time for his fourth year at Hogwarts, there was the famous event known as the Triwizard Tournament that had made its way to Hogwarts.

Before I get too ahead of myself though, there was much that happened in those years with Oliver and me, as well. We came to know each other better in those years than we had at any time before. There are so many memories I have of he and I walking along the campus, admiring the castle and the grounds while enjoying the seclusion for a bit. I remember going to the Quidditch games, cheering him on for the victory, and being a support when they lost. Anyone who knew Oliver knew that he didn't take losing lightly. Especially not to Slytherin.

Slytherin's Draco Malfoy also continued to grow more and more obnoxious as the years progressed. There was something in his mind that thought I wished to speak with him simply because my mother was friends with his family. Every time, I reminded him that I never spoke with my mother, at least not recently. He seemed to laugh this off and remind me that I had to see her again sometime. I liked to tell myself that I would go on for as long as I could without seeing her. I knew the day was growing closer, and Draco was my personal reminder of the darkness lying ahead.

Not only did my relationship with Oliver grow, but also the other members of the Quidditch team, not to mention the Weasley family who became more of like a family to me than anything else. Fred and George's pranks became more impressive while my ability to see through them before they unfolded advanced just as quickly. Despite the fact Harry Potter was Hogwart's own celebrity, he and I had some very pleasant conversations. I would have, by the end of my career at Hogwarts, considered him to be an acquaintance of mine, as well as his red-headed friend Ron and intellectual friend Hermione. Besides them, there was also the girls from the Quidditch team, whom I enjoyed talking with. Well, most of them that was.

There was one girl who never seemed to warm up to me entirely.

I always felt like there was some sort of a barrier between Katie Bell and myself.

It wasn't that we disliked each other, really, but there was just a single factor that came into play and that was Quidditch. Oliver always loved anyone who could give him a good Quidditch conversation and though I attempted to understand the sport, no one could talk to him more in depth about it than Katie. She was so enthusiastic about it that at times it made me envy her ability to get him so worked up and passionate about something. Every time I encountered her, I was friendly and said nothing but nice things, but there was always a little tension since it was no secret she had been fancying Oliver since we were in our first year.

Katie aside, when time came for Oliver to graduate and move on to his dream job of playing for Puddlemere United. It was such a fantastic celebration when he received the owl during breakfast at school; we were all thrilled for him and laughed as he ran around the Great Hall screaming and cheering at the top of his lungs.

It was several months later that we began to discuss the seriousness of our relationship since I was only in my sixth year of school and he was nearly done. We both knew that a long distance relationship would require work; my heart told me to end it there, but when I saw his large brown eyes looking at me and telling me of the future we could share…I melted and forgot about my own troubles for just a while longer.

That summer my father and I spent an especially large amount of time with the Woods are we helped them pack up Oliver's supplies and prepare him for life on his own. He moved into his own flat in Dorset, just minutes from the arena. Over the course of those years, our families had also grown close and it was just as hard for my Dad to see Oliver living on his own as it was for me and his parents too. I remember nagging him about putting some type of decoration on the walls of the flat other than just the Puddlemere United flags and posters, but in the end he won the argument on account that, for the time being, he was the one living there and not myself. After he said this, I found there to be little arguing left.

During the year of Oliver's absence, I was able to pay more attention to my schoolwork and enjoy the social atmosphere that came with the Tri-wizard Tournament. The school was going to allow Oliver to come back for the evening of the Yule Ball since it was such a special occasion. However, before the ball could take place, the names had to be drawn from the goblet and a series of challenges had to take place for students from not only Hogwarts, but also Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Needless to say, with the introduction of a school full of, to put it mildly, brutes and fairy-like girls, Hogwarts became a much more unique atmosphere. All of the girls seemed to be drooling over Viktor Krum, the contestant from Durmstrang, while the boys were waiting for a glance from Fleur Delacour, the blond-headed dream girl from Beauxbatons.

It was hard to believe that any such evil could come from such an exciting, intense scene in the Great Hall when the names were being drawn. In fact, it wasn't Harry Potter being picked for the tournament that was the most surprising thing that happened.

The Yule Ball, with excitement and too much perfume coating the air, was one of my last positive memories from Hogwarts. I remember that Christmas evening like none other; the girls dormitory was a complete disaster zone amongst the clothes and shoes strewn about. I specifically remember opening my powder and dabbing my brush into the cream-colored powder when I looked over the line of the girls giggling as they strolled out of the bathroom to presumably move on to another step of their preparation.

"Is Oliver coming for the evening?" Hermione Granger, the fourth year brainiac whom I rather liked had asked.

As I swirled my brush and smiled, I answered, "Yes, I had his attendance approved. And you, who are you going with again?"

She smiled as color rushed to her face, "Viktor Krum."

I raised my brow at this and smirked at her, "I know a lot of girls who are probably very jealous of you, Hermione."

She looked down, clearly embarrassed, "It is quite something. I certainly wasn't expecting it."

"I'm sure you'll have a splendid evening regardless," I said with a smile before running my fingers through the freshly formed curls in my hair and turning to retrieve my dress from where it hung behind me. The teal blue of the dress is still one of my favorites, even to this day. The dress' bottom flowed into many ruffles, but not an overload like many 'fairy tale' dresses. It was a strapless gown with a lovely jewel at the waist just above where the skirt began.

As I pulled the dress down and stepped inside, Hermione began speaking again.

"Lana, do you ever-" She began, but then laughed and shook her head. "No, no, nevermind."

I pulled the dress up, covering my body, but paused as she said this to look at her, "Yes? Please ask."

"Do you ever wonder why we try so hard to go through all of this? I mean, look at us. We've all been standing around for hours getting ready and making sure every little detail is perfect. Why does it matter? Why don't we just go down there and show up as we are without any show?" She asked me, looking straight at me as I awkwardly held up my dress, attempting to zip it. After she was finished speaking and I processed what she had said.

She certainly had a point. We spent nearly more time getting ready than we were at the event itself. I chuckled as I half zipped my gown and looked at her.

"It's entirely for memory's sake, Hermione. One day, you are going to look back on the memories you have made tonight and remember how grand the entire evening was. Not only the dancing with the attractive date, but also the valuable time that you spent before chatting with all of your friends. It's all of those factors together that make it memorable. Enjoy these times together while you can because before you know it, you will be in your final year at Hogwarts, left wondering where the time went" I said to her, taking several steps closer.

She smiled at this and with a chuckle answered, "I suppose you have a point. It doesn't mean that my hair isn't still being an absolute bother. This flower is going to be the death of me."

I chuckled at this, "I can secure the flower in your hair if you zip up this dress."

"Of course" She smiled as I turned and she secured the dress on my body.

And with that, Hermione and I assisted each other in finishing to prepare for the evening that followed.

* * *

><p>More than anything, I remember seeing Oliver for the first time in many months and feeling an abundance of excitement flowing through my veins. He was dressed very handsome in his suit and bow tie that I had insisted he wear. I hardly had time to admire his dress, however I ran to embrace upon seeing him. As thrilled as I was to see him, his arms encircling me were warm, but I still felt a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.<p>

"It's so good to see you" He murmured in my ear, kissing me softly on the cheek.

I smiled and placed both my hands on his arms as I looked at him, "You as well. We can actually speak in person and not hide behind ink and parchment."

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" He asked with a chuckle, offering his arm to me as we strolled through the castle's hallways leading to the ballroom.

"Has Puddlemere been all you've dreamt it to be?" I asked with a smile as we came upon a group of other students.

"Oh, I have many stories for you."

And many stories, he did have. We talked and laughed and enjoyed one another's company just as we had before. In fact, I could pretend that we hadn't even been apart at some points in the evening.

And with that, we began the long, enchanted evening of dancing and celebrating of the tournament. It was a time filled with laughter with our friends and reminising on all of the memories we had shared together. When the band played the slow songs, Oliver and I danced, enjoying the presence of one another that we had not been able to enjoy for many months. Just as I had enjoyed our time together in previous years, this time, I truly felt that there was something only slightly off. I could not place my finger on exactly what it was, but when I felt his hands at my waist, I would look up to see that his eyes were elsewhere. I should have been completely thrilled that he was here and yet, I had this feeling that his mind was not set on me. This was a selfish thought, but we were in a relationship and this was our reunion. However, I could not stay too angered at this minute detail because I would soon remind myself of the guilt I was carrying of pursuing a relationship with someone who I was leading into potential danger, one day.

Finally, when one song ended, he slid his hands from my waist and met my eyes, "Do you mind if I step aside for a moment?"

I looked back at him, nodding before saying, "Go ahead."

I watched as he squeezed my hand before stepping out of the ballroom, decorated as this beautiful winter wonderland. I mingled amongst the other students for several minutes and found that a large amount of time had passed and Oliver had yet to return. I waited until I found it to be appropriate and began to make my way through the large mass of students. Once on the outer rim, I saw Ron Weasley and Harry Potter seated at tables, clearly not interested in dancing. Their dates looked less than thrilled, as well. I laughed mentally at this as I approached them.

"Have any of you seen Oliver?" I asked, raising my voice over the music pounding.

"Eh, I think he went that way," Ron answered, swinging his hand around to indicate he knew what he was doing, but I could see that he didn't.

Harry rolled his eyes before meeting my eyes and confirming his answer, "Yes, he is that way Lana."

"Thank you," I answered with a smirk before continuing through the tall doors that they had pointed toward.

That feeling of guilt sitting in my stomach changed to something entirely different when I took a step through those doors and turned my head to see Oliver crouched down in front of another girl, who was sobbing. He was holding both of her hands and, from what I could observe, whispering to her. A couple of steps closer showed me that this girl was Katie Bell, who was crying her eyes dry. I stood there for several seconds, stunned at what was presented before my eyes. Of course, it was nothing major, but it, in some odd way, confirmed this guilt that had been sitting in my stomach.

As I looked at him comforting her, I saw an image of how perfect they were for one another. She loved Quidditch and he loved it just as much as she did, if not more. She was so free and full of energy while I was tied down to a past that I couldn't change no matter how hard I tried to cover it up. He was doing nothing entirely controversial by comforting her, but the image was enough for me to realize what needed to be done.

All of the memories I had with him were beginning to fade as I saw what the future could be for them.

It was for this reason, I had to act on the feelings of guilt pitting in my stomach. So, I took several steps closer to the both of them, tenderly. Oliver looked up when I was just steps from him and immediately dropped her hand. Katie sniffled and looked at me with tear stained eyes.

"It's alright, Oliver," I said softly, not wanting for him to be ashamed.

He quickly came to his feet and met my eye, "I-I was just trying to be-"

"I know you were," I answered calmly, looking into his brown eyes and even smiling slightly.

He was clearly baffled by this reaction and I could feel Katie's eyes baring into me. I looked down to the girl, sitting in her sorrow, and offered my hand to her. She reluctantly came to her feet and I then, with my other hand, grabbed Oliver's hand.

"I don't want there to be any secrets with us. Therefore, I want you to be happy Oliver, and if that means-"

"Lana, we need to talk," He immediately cut in, pulling his hand from mine. "This isn't-"

"Oliver, I'm simply telling you-"

"Please," He commanded, a look of seriousness falling over his face as I dropped Katie's hand and held his gaze. "Come with me."

"Very well," I responded simply, following him farther down the hallway so that no one could hear us.

"Lana, I was only trying to see what happened. Please, do not misinterpret what was going on," He told me so tenderly that it nearly made me melt at how genuinely concerned he was.

"I do not misinterpret," I answered, just as soft, placing my hand on his cheek. "I just have this feeling, Oliver. I know you would never be unfaithful; this is me, not you."

He paused for several minutes, looking into my eyes, searching for an explanation, "Lana, we've barely even been able to talk tonight. It's only been a joyful evening and now you think you can feel something between Katie and I."

"Dear, I have always felt it. I know that there is something special you share with her that I could never have. Please, when I say this-"

"What are you saying?" He demanded, stepping away from me fiercely.

"Oliver, I-"

I stopped myself and gazed off into the distance, hearing the distant sound of happiness in the distance. Many years before, when I felt that Oliver and I would be over shortly, I had not pictured it taking place in this sort of environment. However, I felt that I could not allow Oliver to leave here tonight with the impression that I was still full-heartedely in love with him.

"Oliver, I am going to be entirely honest. I care for you deeply, do not misunderstand that. Conversely, I cannot allow myself to completely fall in love with you when I feel that there is someone else with whom you should be with," I said simply, not wishing to delve into the family matter.

He took a step back again, folding his arms over his chest as he shook his head, "It's more than that."

"No, it's not, Oliver. I just-"

"Now, you're lying to me," He said, looking directly at me. "There's something else and I would make a hefty guess it has something to do with your family."

My heart nearly fell out of my chest as I avoided his eye, but forced myself to look back at him, "There's nothing wrong with them right now."

He was clearly becoming frantic as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "Lana, just tell me what. Don't do this with Katie and-"

"Oliver, please just make this easier on both of us. You know that Katie is better for you than I am and I know that I can't relate to you-"

He interrupted me by kissing me passionately on the lips, stopping my words from reaching his ears. He lingered inches from my face between each kiss, "Please, stop. Lana, I-I love you. You don't mean-"

I kissed him again softly, cutting him off before patting his shoulder, "Goodnight Oliver. It has been a pleasure knowing you."

"That's it? Nothing else? After all this time?" He asked, desperate for some sort of answer as he held on my wrist, but I shook my head.

"You know that I care for you Oliver, but I do not love you like I should be able to. There is someone else who can," I whispered to him, kissing his hand before pulling my wrist away. "Please, just let me go."

He said nothing else. He only watched me as I turned to return to my dormitory. I knew that he deserved more, but I was too scared to give him much of anything else. I could feel his eyes on me as I continued down the long stretch of corridor and I've no doubt that if I had even began to turn around, he would have welcomed me warmly. At that point in my life, I had to break up with Oliver in order to accomplish what I was bound to do.

* * *

><p>After the excitement of the ball calmed down, there was still a third event to be performed. In the wake of my break-up with Oliver, I faced a whirlwind of questions, especially from the Weasleys and other Gryffindors. They all wanted to know the details, but I remained vague with them. I suppose it was only fitting seeing as I was also vague with Oliver when I broke the news to him. The truth of the matter was that I couldn't let myself go into details because then I would realize that I was making a mistake and I could not allow danger to be brought to someone who I cared so much about.<p>

I stood in the stands, just as excited as any of the other Gryffindor students, cheering on Potter as they reached the end of the tournament. I remember the day just like any other student, the crisp air biting us all, not only with coolness, but also anticipation of what was to come. It was for this reason that we were all on the edge of our seats when the champions rushed into the maze for their last trial. I chatted with my friends over who we thought would win. The typical conversations ensued for minutes upon minutes.

But something had to go wrong. Something always had to go wrong. We sat there for hours with silence upon us and no word of anything. People began to get restless and I felt it just as much as anyone else. Never did this anxiety predict what Harry Potter would bring back with him when he appeared in front of us. Just as everyone rumored how dangerous the Triwizard tournament was before, so it appeared to be playing out. Cedric Diggory, the boy who everyone loved, lay dead on the ground as the rest of us took in the sight and watched a hysteric Harry Potter cry over his death.

At this point in time, I could feel something was certainly changing in the air. There were whispers of the return of Lord Voldemort and Harry was not one to keep the topic secret. There were claims that he had returned to power; I remember feeling that fear floating about in the air. Deep inside, I knew that it had to be true, but the rumors swirled about for many days as people mourned, but eventually time healed, or at least covered up the wounds. The atmosphere certainly was never the same, but some of us in our last year still had to finish school and enjoy those end of year activities. I would be lying if I said they were completely normal.

I finished school at Hogwarts in the top percentage of my class and with many honors, but still couldn't help but feel horror pitting in my stomach. The joyous years of being under the protection of Hogwart's bubble were over for me and that summer I was forced to enter the real wizarding world. The world where we are forced to make something of ourselves and at that point in time, I was not entirely sure what I wished to do, but found that the Ministry of Magic would be a decent start.

If only I could have just gone to the Ministry.

It was one trip to my mother's house that changed everything and confirmed the rumors that had started at the tournament with Cedric's death.

Despite my father's wishes, I travelled to see my mother once, just to check in on her. I made sure that I would not linger for any longer than necessary, but simply stop in for a cup of tea. When I arrived at the house, for a moment, it felt like home. It felt like I could simply walk in on my young family seated for dinner. I took a deep breath in, telling myself that this was not the case and I was to walk in and walk out. In fact, I contemplated leaving right at that moment, but she was my mother and I owed her something after all these years.

"Lana?" Her voice rang in my ears, so foreign to me after so many years. She opened the door before I could even knock. I forced a smile as she opened the door, inviting me into what used to be our home.

"Mother, how are you?" I asked, returning the smile as she pulled me into an embrace. I noticed that she was remarkably slimmer than before.

She coughed into her sleeve before answering, "I'm just fine dear. A-and yourself?"

"I am well. I graduated from school mother; I am sure father at least wrote you to say this?" I asked, looking at her with concern for the more I looked at her, the paler she seemed to be.

She laughed at this, with little humor before coughing dryly, "Oh, dear I haven't heard from your father in years, months. But I keep up with the dates in my head, you know. How wonderfull."

She seemed so much older than what she was, as she guided me into the living room, it was almost as though I was speaking to an elderly woman rather than my mother. How odd it was to see her in such a state; I almost pitied her. Almost. It was when I heard a creak from the kitchen that I nearly stood up and left. Perhaps, I was being too impulsive, but when I saw my mother's eyes dart over, in fear seemingly, I felt my heart drop.

She stood quickly, "Um dear, can I offer you a cup of tea?"

Just as she did this, I suddenly felt as though I had stayed there for long enough. The situation was pained and awkward at best. How easy it would have been for me to simply say that I needed to get to the ministry!

I stood up, just as she was doing so, "Mother, I really don't have much time, but-"

She grabbed my arms, "Dear, please, stay-"

"I have to get to work, mum" I said quickly, though I had yet to receive a job. I shook her grip on my arms and started for the door.

"Lana Stockholm, don't you dare leave this house" She commanded, in a voice much stronger than the woman I heard just seconds before. Right as my hand was hovering over the knob, I heard the lock click tight. I swallowed hard, not wanting to accept my stupidity for wishing to see my mother. I should have listened to my father and never come to see her, but my heart kept telling me it was the right thing to do.

"Oh no, don't leave, dear Lana. The party has only just begun" A much cooler, menacing voice said from behind me. The mere sound of his voice sent chills rushing down my spine as my skin tingled with fear. I swallowed again, trying to tell myself that this was just a dream and not real. I tried to keep my eyes on the door knob and away from his, but I knew that he would demand my attention. I heard his footsteps coming closer and closer to me until finally he stopped, right behind me. His breath tingling on the back of my neck as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I certainly wouldn't want for you to miss anything important."

The sensation of his touch was almost like burning, but as cold as ice at the same time. I wanted to begin crying for I knew what was coming; rather I kept my composure and turned as he turned me around. When I had turned, I kept my eyes on the ground, looking at the feet of a monster. After several seconds, he moved his hand under my chin and forced me to look into his newly formed, piercing blue eyes.

"I am in need of your service, dear Lana," He whispered to me, as I took in the sight of his pale skin and harsh, relentless face boring into mine. "Your time has come."

And thus, in a matter of minutes, my life went from that of a normal girl just out of school, to that of a servant of Lord Voldemort.

**A/N: Well, everyone, that is the last chapter of this story until the sequel. I have been debating where to end it for awhile now and this is where I will leave off for now, but there will be a sequel! Eventually! I am currently in the process of writing the sequel to my Hunger Games story, so you all should definitely check it out if that interests you. Anyways, thanks for reading, let me know what you think, and I will be back sometime with the sequel!**


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